In a mixed population of ICU patients, vitamin C administration is associated with no significant effect on survival, length of ICU or hospital stay.

In cardiac surgery, beneficial effects on postoperative atrial fibrillation, ICU or hospital length of stay remain unclear.

However, the quality and quantity of evidence is still insufficient to draw firm conclusions, not supporting neither discouraging the systematic administration of vitamin C in these populations.

Vitamin C remains an attractive intervention for future investigations aimed to improve clinical outcome.

44 randomized studies, 16 performed in ICU setting (2,857 patients) and 28 in cardiac surgery (3,598 patients), published between 1995 and 2018, were included in the analysis.

In ICU patients, vitamin C administration was not associated with a difference in mortality, acute kidney injury (AKI), ICU or hospital length of stay compared with control.

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