Randomized clinical trial of ascorbic acid in the treatment of pressure ulcers

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of ascorbic acid supplementation, 500 mg twice daily in the treatment of pressure ulcers as an adjunct to standardized treatment. The design consisted of a multicenter blinded randomized trial. The control group received 10 mg of ascorbic acid twice daily. Patients from 11 nursing homes and 1 hospital participated. Main outcome measures included wound survival, healing rates of wound surfaces, and clinimetric changes over 12 weeks. Eighty-eight patients were randomized. Intention-to-treat analysis showed that the wound closure probability per unit time (i.e., the closure rate) was not higher in the intervention group than in the control group (Cox hazard ratio of 0.78 [90% precision interval, 0.44-1.39]). Mean absolute healing rates were 0.21 and 0.27 cm2/week in the intervention and control group, respectively (PI of the adjusted difference: -0.17 to 0.13). Relative healing rates and healing velocities did not show favorable results of ascorbic acid supplementation, either. A panel scored slides of the ulcers with a report mark between 1 (bad) and 10 (excellent). The improvement was 0.45 and 0.72 points per week in the intervention and control group, respectively (PI of the adjusted difference: -0.50 to 0.20). With another clinimetric index we could not show any differences, either. These data do not support the idea that ascorbic acid supplementation (500 vs. 10 mg twice daily) speeds up the healing of pressure ulcers.