Antioxidant supplements help control infection in trauma patients after surgery

Crash Test

I’ve been in more car accidents than you have.

I’m not bragging, I’m just saying.

If you have been in more car accidents than me, you’re probably a NASCAR driver or something, because I’ve been in four – count ’em – four car accidents.

Even more amazing than surviving four car accidents is managing to get through them all without suffering any major traumas or emergency surgeries.

Many others who aren’t so fortunate will lose their lives due to infection and multiple organ failure, which is common after a challenging surgery with no prep time. But surprising new research shows that three dietary supplements might save lives and reduce suffering among these patients.

I hope every surgical unit in every hospital in the country will see this one.

Bugle call

When the body is badly injured, antioxidants rush to the wound site to fight infection. But in this type of pitched battle antioxidants are quickly depleted and infections have the opportunity to advance. What the body needs is a wave of reinforcements – the cavalry riding over the hill to the rescue.

That’s how Bryan A. Cotton, M.D., describes the need for intensive antioxidant therapy in treating patients with serious wounds. Dr. Cotton (assistant professor of surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center) recently reported on his antioxidant research at the 2008 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.

Over a period of one year, Dr. Cotton and colleagues arranged to have an antioxidant treatment given to each patient admitted to Vanderbilt’s trauma center. More than 2,200 patients were given one gram of vitamin C and 1,000 IU of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) three times each day. Selenium was also given intravenously – 200 micrograms per day. Patients received this regimen for seven days or until discharge – whichever came first.

Dr. Cotton’s team compared outcomes for these patients to outcomes for more than 2,000 trauma patients who didn’t receive antioxidants. Results showed clear benefits.

• Rate of abdominal compartment syndrome (massive hemorrhage or intestinal obstruction) was four times lower with antioxidants
• Rate of surgical site infection was two times lower with antioxidants
• Rates of overall infections and respiratory failures were also significantly lower with antioxidants

Get rich slow scheme

Based on this success, Dr. Cotton’s team continues to administer antioxidants to the most serious cases in the trauma center. Length of treatment and dosage are also being adjusted to assess optimal usage. And plans are in the works for additional trials that may also include nontrauma patients who are in critical condition.

And here’s the biggest surprise: Dr. Cotton told MedPage Today that this antioxidant treatment costs exactly $11 for the week.

Oh please tell me he didn’t just say that.

Surely Dr. Cotton has been around long enough to know that economics drives health care innovations. He needs to bump that figure up to, say, $1,100 per week. THEN hospital administrators will sit up and take notice. Insurance or Medicare will pay for 90 percent, patients will pay for the rest, someone gets rich, and everybody wins.

Of course, my tongue is in cheek. But I’ve got a feeling this advancement in trauma care will go nowhere fast unless someone can reap huge profits.

Sources:
“Treatment of Acutely Injured Patients with High-Dose Antioxidants is Associated with a significant Reduction in Pulmonary Failure, Catheter-Related Infections, and Abdominal Wall Complications” Journal of the American College of Surgeons, Vol. 207, No. 3, Supplement, September 2008, journalacs.org
“ACS: High-Dose Antioxidants Improve Trauma Outcomes” John Gever, MedPage Today, 10/17/08, medpagetoday.com