Researchers studied 99 very sick hospital patients to understand vitamin levels in their blood and whether these levels affect survival chances. They measured seven different vitamins (A, D, E, K, and three B vitamins) when patients arrived at the intensive care unit, then again after one and two weeks. They found that vitamins A, D, and K were low when patients first arrived, but some improved over time. Interestingly, patients who received special IV nutrition with added vitamins showed better vitamin levels. The study suggests that having higher vitamin E levels when admitted to the hospital may help patients survive, though more research is needed to confirm this.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether vitamin levels in the blood of very sick hospital patients affect how well they recover and survive their illness
  • Who participated: 99 patients in intensive care units with an average age of 59 years; about one-third were women. These were patients sick enough to need round-the-clock hospital care.
  • Key finding: Vitamin E levels when patients first arrived at the hospital appeared to protect against death. Patients who received special IV nutrition with added vitamins showed improvements in vitamins A and E over two weeks, though vitamin K didn’t improve much even with supplements.
  • What it means for you: If you or a loved one enters intensive care, doctors may want to check vitamin levels, especially vitamin E. However, this is early research with a small group, so doctors shouldn’t change treatment based solely on this study. More research is needed before making major changes to how hospitals treat vitamin deficiencies.

The Research Details

This was a prospective study, meaning researchers followed patients forward in time and collected information as events happened, rather than looking backward at old records. Researchers measured blood vitamin levels for 99 critically ill patients at three time points: when they arrived at the intensive care unit, after 7 days, and after 14 days. They measured seven vitamins: A, D, E, K, B1, B6, and B12. Some patients received special IV nutrition (called parenteral nutrition) that included a vitamin supplement mixture, while others did not. The researchers then used statistical analysis to figure out which factors—including vitamin levels—were connected to whether patients survived or died.

Understanding vitamin levels in critically ill patients matters because very sick people often have poor nutrition and vitamin deficiencies, which could affect their recovery. By measuring vitamins over time and comparing patients who received vitamin supplements to those who didn’t, researchers could see whether vitamin levels actually change and whether these changes relate to survival outcomes. This helps doctors know if giving vitamin supplements might help save lives.

This study has moderate reliability. It included 99 patients, which is a reasonable size for this type of research. The researchers measured vitamins at multiple time points (baseline, day 7, and day 14), which is more thorough than measuring once. However, the study was observational rather than randomized, meaning patients weren’t randomly assigned to receive vitamins or not—some chose to receive them and others didn’t. This makes it harder to prove that vitamins caused the differences observed. The study was published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, which means other experts reviewed it before publication.

What the Results Show

When patients first arrived at the intensive care unit, three vitamins were low: vitamin A, vitamin D, and vitamin K. Over the next two weeks, vitamin A levels improved and reached normal ranges. However, vitamins D and K remained low even after two weeks. Vitamins B1, B6, B12, and E were at normal levels when patients arrived. Among patients who received special IV nutrition with added vitamins (but without vitamin K), vitamins A and E increased significantly by days 7 and 14. Surprisingly, vitamin K levels stayed adequate even though it wasn’t included in the vitamin supplement, suggesting the body may maintain vitamin K from other sources. The most important finding was that patients with higher vitamin E levels when admitted to the hospital had better survival chances—this was the only vitamin level that clearly connected to survival outcomes.

The researchers also looked at a scoring system called the NUTRIC score, which predicts how sick patients are. Patients with higher NUTRIC scores (meaning they were sicker) had worse survival chances. The study showed that patients receiving parenteral nutrition (IV nutrition) had different patterns of vitamin change compared to those not receiving it, with more improvement in vitamins A and E. However, most other vitamins didn’t show significant changes even with supplementation.

Previous research has shown that critically ill patients often have vitamin deficiencies, but there’s been disagreement about whether correcting these deficiencies improves survival. This study adds to that discussion by showing that vitamin E specifically may be protective, though most other vitamins didn’t clearly affect survival in this group. The findings align with some previous work suggesting that nutritional status matters in intensive care, but this study is smaller and more focused than some larger reviews on the topic.

This study has several important limitations. First, it only included 99 patients, which is relatively small for drawing firm conclusions. Second, it was observational, meaning researchers watched what happened naturally rather than randomly assigning some patients to get vitamins and others not to—this makes it hard to prove vitamins caused the improvements. Third, the study only followed patients for 14 days, so we don’t know long-term effects. Fourth, the researchers couldn’t measure all possible factors that might affect survival, so other unmeasured differences between patients might explain the results. Finally, the study was conducted at one or a few hospitals, so results might not apply everywhere.

The Bottom Line

Based on this research, doctors should consider checking vitamin E levels in critically ill patients, as higher levels appear protective. However, this is preliminary evidence (confidence level: moderate). Hospitals should continue providing standard nutritional support including vitamins to critically ill patients, as this is already standard care. Doctors should not change treatment based solely on this study—more research is needed. Vitamin K supplementation may need special attention since it didn’t improve even with IV nutrition.

This research matters most for doctors and nurses caring for critically ill patients in intensive care units. It’s relevant for hospital nutritionists planning feeding strategies. Families of patients in intensive care might find this information helpful for understanding their loved one’s care. This research is NOT meant for people to use for self-treatment or to decide whether to take vitamin supplements at home—it’s specifically about very sick hospitalized patients.

In this study, researchers saw changes in vitamin levels within 7-14 days of hospital admission. However, the connection between vitamin E levels and survival was measured at the time of admission, not over time. If vitamin supplementation were to help, benefits would likely appear over days to weeks in hospitalized patients, not hours. Long-term effects beyond two weeks are unknown from this study.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • For patients or caregivers: If a loved one is in intensive care, ask doctors about vitamin level testing results and track whether vitamin supplements are being given. Note the dates when vitamin levels are checked (typically at admission, day 7, and day 14) and any changes in the patient’s condition during these periods.
  • For healthcare providers using a nutrition tracking app: Log vitamin supplementation protocols for ICU patients, including which vitamins are given, dosages, and timing. Track patient outcomes (discharge, mortality) alongside vitamin supplementation records to identify patterns over time.
  • For long-term monitoring: Healthcare facilities should implement routine vitamin level screening for all ICU admissions, with follow-up testing at day 7 and day 14. Create alerts when vitamin E or other key vitamins fall below normal ranges. Compare outcomes between patients with adequate versus deficient vitamin levels to build institutional knowledge about the importance of vitamin management.

This research describes findings from a single study of 99 hospitalized patients and should not be used for self-diagnosis or self-treatment. Vitamin supplementation decisions for critically ill patients must be made by qualified healthcare providers based on individual patient needs, medical history, and current medications. If you or a loved one is in intensive care, discuss vitamin levels and supplementation with your medical team. This information is educational and does not replace professional medical advice. Always consult with doctors before making changes to any medical treatment or supplementation regimen.