Research Article: Role of vitamin D supplementation in modifying outcomes after surgery: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials
Abstract:
Background There is increasing evidence to suggest vitamin D plays a role in immune and vascular function; hence, it may be of biological and clinical relevance for patients undergoing major surgery. With a greater number of randomised studies being conducted evaluating the impact of vitamin D supplementation on surgical patients, it is an opportune time to conduct further analysis of the impact of vitamin D on surgical outcomes. Methods MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Trials Register were interrogated up to December 2023 to identify randomised controlled trials of vitamin D supplementation in surgery. The risk of bias in the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. A narrative synthesis was conducted for all studies. The primary outcome assessed was overall postoperative survival. Results We screened 4883 unique studies, assessed 236 full-text articles and included 14 articles in the qualitative synthesis, comprising 1982 patients. The included studies were highly heterogeneous with respect to patient conditions, ranging from open heart surgery to cancer operations to orthopaedic conditions, and also with respect to the timing and equivalent daily dose of vitamin D supplementation (range: 0.5–7500 mcg; 20–300?000?IU). No studies reported significant differences in overall survival or postoperative mortality with vitamin D supplementation. There was also no clear evidence of benefit with respect to overall or intensive care unit length of stay. Discussion Numerous studies have reported the benefits of vitamin D supplementation in different surgical settings without any consistency. However, this systematic review found no clear evidence of benefit, which warrants the supposition that a single biological effect of vitamin D supplementation does not exist. The observed improvement in outcomes in low vitamin D groups has not been convincingly proven beyond chance findings. Trial registration number CRD42021232067.
Introduction:
Public Health England and Food Standards Agency data suggest that vitamin D deficiency (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)-D) <30?nmol/L) is present in 23% of people aged 19–64 years and in 21% of people aged 65 years and over. From January to March, this increases to 40% of people aged 19–64 years and 30% of people aged 65 years and over. 1 2 While vitamin D deficiency is clearly linked to impaired calcium homeostasis and bone metabolism, there has been growing interest in the possible impact of vitamin D on…
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