Early vitamin C and thiamine administration to patients with septic shock in emergency departments: Propensity score-based analysis of a before-and-after cohort study

Background: Intravenous vitamin C and thiamine administration may be a potential adjuvant therapy for septic shock. We aimed to investigate the impact of early vitamin C and thiamine administration in septic shock patients. Methods: This retrospective before-and-after cohort study used data extracted from the Korean Shock Society’s prospective septic shock registry. We compared 28-day and in-hospital mortality rates between patients treated with intravenous vitamin C (3 g/12 h or 1.5 g/6 h) and thiamine (200 mg/12 h) <6 h after shock recognition from July through December 2017 (n = 229) and control patients from October 2015 through June 2017 (n = 915) using propensity score matching. Results: The 28-day (18.3% vs. 17.5%; p = 0.76) and in-hospital (16.6% vs. 18.3%; p = 0.55) mortality rates did not differ between treatment and control groups, nor did 28-day (18.5% vs. 17.5%; p = 0.84) and in-hospital (16.7% vs. 18.4%; p = 0.54) mortality rates after matching. In the subgroup analysis, treatment was associated with lower in-hospital mortality rates in patients with albumin <3.0 mg/dL or a Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score >10. Conclusion: Early vitamin C and thiamine administration in patients with septic shock did not improve survival; however, administration could benefit conditions that are more severe, such as hypoalbuminemia or severe organ failure.