Nick Mark MD Profile picture
Aug 18, 2020 6 tweets 5 min read Read on X
2 more NEGATIVE studies of #VitaminC in #sepsis: #ACTS in @JAMA_current & #ATESS in @yourICM.

It' doesn’t look good for the "metabolic cure”
5/6 negative for 1° endpoints; ORANGES found ⬇️ pressor use
5/6 with no mortality Δ; CITRIS did, but mortality was 1 of 46 2° endpoints
1/ Image
This is a great time to do some meta-analysis.

As you can see from my quick/simple analysis, neither vitamin C either alone or in combination with hydrocortisone and steroids reduced in mortality in people with sepsis:
2/ Image
What about other endpoints? It doesn't look much better for vitamin C: 4/6 found no ΔSOFA scores.

Also, while ΔSOFA scores and duration of vasopressors are important, I would argue that mortality is a more meaningful (and more patient centered) endpoint.
3/ Image
Bottom Line:
I've been excited but skeptical since the Marik paper.
Since 2017, there have been several RCTs that have failed to replicate those results.
Now I’m pretty sure #VitaminC doesn’t work.
In the ICU as in life, when something seems too good to be true it probably is
4/
Methods:
This is a binary random effects model looking at 28 or 30-day mortality using #OpenMetaAnalyst and the MetaFor package in #Rstats version 3.6.2

For those interested in doing your own analysis you can download my data here: dropbox.com/s/a2k83j3a09ps…
5/
Also for convenience, here are links to the RCTs of #vitaminC in sepsis:
* CITRIS-ALI bit.ly/309vt9h
* VITAMINS bit.ly/2BFYRul
* HYVCTTSSS bit.ly/2EwC6tZ
* ORANGES bit.ly/3fbfjjO
* ACTS bit.ly/3kVJGiy
* ATESS bit.ly/34au8RU
6/

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More from @nickmmark

Jun 30
You've probably heard "don't give lactated ringers because it raises lactate"

This statement is ~98% false, but there's one crucial practice-changing fact that you need to know.

A 🧵 all about lactic acid and lactated ringers!
1/
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First off, we should ackowledge the obvious: Lactated ringers does in fact contain lactate... 28 mEq/L in fact

BUT there's one little detail to remember:
Lactate ≠ Lactic acid

When we measure "lactate" we care about the ACID (H+) which lowers pH & causes organ dysfunction
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But the correlation between pH & lactate is really bad!

Look at this analysis of lactate vs pH in 171 ICU patients.

There is a *weak* correlation in people with arterial lactate > 5, but even w/ lactate =10, pH ranged from 7.5 to 7.05. Quite a spread!

3/ ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
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Read 10 tweets
Jun 13
If you intubate you need to read the #PREOXI trial!
-n=1301 people requiring intubation in ED/ ICU were randomized to preoxygenation with oxygen mask vs non-invasive ventilation (NIV)
-NIV HALVED the risk of hypoxemia: 9 vs 18%
-NIV reduced mortality: 0.2% vs 1.1%

#CCR24
🧵
1/

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Hypoxemia (SpO2 <85%) occurs in 10-20% of ED & ICU intubations.

1-2% of intubations performed in ED/ICU result in cardiac arrest!

This is an exceptionally dangerous procedure and preoxygenation is essential to keep patients safe.

But what’s the *BEST* way to preoxygenate?
2/
Most people use a non-rebreather oxygen mask, but because of its loose fit it often delivers much less than 100% FiO2.

NIV (“BiPAP”) delivers a higher FiO2 because of its tight fit. It also delivers PEEP & achieves a higher mean airway pressure which is theoretically helpful!
3/
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Read 15 tweets
Jun 12
Results from #PROTECTION presented #CCR24 & published @NEJM.
- DB RCT of amino acid infusion vs placebo in n=3511 people undergoing cardiac surgery w/ bypass.
- Reduced incidence of AKI (26.9% vs 31.7% NNT=20) & need for RRT (1.4% vs 1.9% NNT=200)

Potential game changer!

🧵
1/
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I work in a busy CVICU & I often see AKI following cardiac surgery.

Despite risk stratification & hemodynamic optimization, AKI remains one of the most common complications after cardiac surgery with bypass.

Even a modest reduction in AKI/CRRT would be great for my patients.
2/ From Nature reviews nephrology  https://www.nature.com/articles/nrneph.2017.119
During cardiac surgery w/ bypass, renal blood flow (RBF) is reduced dramatically. This causes injury, especially in susceptible individuals.

But what if we could use physiology to protect the kidneys?

Renal blood vessels dilate after a high protein meal increasing RBF & GFR!
3/ https://www.jtcvs.org/article/S0022-5223(18)33243-4/fulltext
Read 11 tweets
May 3
A slightly tricky blood gas case:

77 yo with respiratory distress, RR 30, SpO2 80% on non-rebreather at 15 lpm

CXR & TTE are unrevealing

pH 7.58 / PaCO2 24 / PaO2 >500 / HCO3 22

MetHb 0% CarboxyHb 0%

The ABG looks like this: Image
The answer is sulfhemoglobinemia.

Sulfhemoglobinemia is a *permanently* modified hemoglobin associated with exposure to TMP/SMX, dapsone, phenazopyridine, & other amino & nitro compounds.

It has an altered oxy-hemoglobin dissociation curve.

2/

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Sulfhemoglobinemia is easily confused with methemoglobinemia. Both have very dark colored blood & present with cyanosis. Diagnosis typically requires a specialized lab.

Spoiler: you may have heard that SulfHb is green. It isn’t really. You’re thinking of Vulcans’ blood.

3/
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Read 7 tweets
Apr 28
This story is absolutely shocking.

Philip Morris International (PMI) spent millions to influence medical education by buying a series of “CMEs” at Medscape!

How else has big tobacco tried to normalize vaping & influence the medical community?

🧵
1/
theexamination.org/articles/medsc…
Recently it was revealed that Philip Morris International (PMI) had SPONSORED CME materials about smokeless tobacco products on Medscape.

I had the opportunity to review these “CME” materials & they are pretty shocking!
2/

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One truly incredible thing about this “CME” was that it has NO DISCLOSURE SLIDE!

The fact that people teaching about vaping don’t disclose their financial ties to the tobacco industry is absolutely bonkers!

Why isn’t there a sunshine act for this?
3/
Read 19 tweets
Jan 27
Damn. Under Trump the White House Medical Unit was a pill-mill. Thousands of ambien & provigil per month.

Worse, for a clinic that doesn’t typically do procedures w/ moderate sedation they sure are they ordering prodigious quantities of morphine, fentanyl, versed, & ketamine…? Image
Honestly, this reminds me of Norman Ohler’s Blitzed.
The AG report was largely concerned with the enormous cost of prescribing these non-genetic meds.

It’s worth pointing out that dispensing prescription meds without documentation is malpractice. In the case of controlled substances it’s also likely a crime.
Read 8 tweets

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