ICU patients typically benefit from 300-500,000 IU of Vitamin D - many studies
Some ICU patients got 540,000 IU of Vitamin D: good responders lived longer than controls or poor responders – RCT June 2024
Efficacy and safety of enteral supplementation with high-dose vitamin D in critically ill patients with vitamin D deficiency
Journal of the Formosan Medical Association https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfma.2024.05.005
An-Yi Wang a b, Yu-Chang Yeh c, Kuang-Hua Cheng d e, Yin-Yi Han f, Ching-Tang Chiu c, Chai-Chi Chang c, I-Ting Wang d 1, Anne Chao c 1
Background
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with mortality and morbidity in critically ill patients. This study investigated the safety and effectiveness of enteral high-dose vitamin D supplementation in intensive care unit (ICU) patients in Asia.
Methods
This was a multicenter, prospective, randomized-controlled study. Eligible participants with vitamin D deficiency were randomly assigned to the control or vitamin D supplementation group. In the vitamin D supplementation group, the patients received 569,600 IU vitamin D. The primary outcome was the serum 25(OH)D level on day 7.
Results
41 and 20 patients were included in the vitamin D supplementation and control groups, respectively. On day 7, the serum 25(OH)D level was significantly higher in the vitamin D supplementation group compared to the control group (28.5 [IQR: 20.2–52.6] ng/mL and 13.9 [IQR: 11.6–18.8] ng/mL, p < 0.001). Only 41.5% of the patients achieved serum 25(OH)D levels higher than 30 ng/mL in the supplementation group. This increased level was sustained in the supplementation group on both day 14 and day 28. There were no significant adverse effects noted in the supplementation group. Patients who reached a serum 25(OH)D level of >30 ng/mL on day 7 had a significantly lower 30-day mortality rate than did those who did not (5.9% vs 37.5%, p < 0.05).
Conclusions
In our study, less than half of the patients reached adequate vitamin D levels after the enteral administration of high-dose vitamin D. A reduction in 30-day mortality was noted in the patients who achieved adequate vitamin D levels.
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Vitamin D helps people in the ICU in many ways – suggests more studies are needed – Feb 2025
Evaluation of Vitamin D Supplementation in Critically Ill Patients—A Narrative Review of Randomized Controlled Trials Published in the Last 5 Years
Nutrients 2025, 17(5), 816; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17050816
Shan Wang 1ORCID,Ruodi Ren 2,Kunkun Wang 3ORCID,Christopher Leo 4,Mengyan Li 5,Allison Chow 6,Andrew K. Yang 7 andYun Lu 2,8,*ORCID
The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among intensive care unit (ICU) patients is potentially associated with an increased risk of mechanical ventilation, sepsis, prolonged hospital stays, and mortality. Although ICU patient care has significantly improved in recent years, the role of vitamin D supplementation remains under investigation. A literature review was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane databases, focusing on randomized controlled trials published in the past five years on vitamin D supplementation in adult ICU patients. Patients’ baseline vitamin D levels, administration routes, doses, biomarker changes, mechanical ventilation duration, length of hospital stay, and mortality were analyzed.
Although vitamin D supplementation appears safe and may reduce ICU stay duration and mechanical ventilation time and improve SOFA scores, its impact on overall mortality remains uncertain.
Routine supplementation for all ICU patients is not currently recommended; clinical decisions should consider individual baseline vitamin D levels, patient characteristics, severity of illness, doses, and administration methods.
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Note: People in ICU often have poor guts (poor vitamin D adsorption), Injections take weeks to improve the vitamin D levels
Both Gut-Friendly Vitamin D and Topical Vitamin D reduce both of those problems
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