NPR

Vitamin Treatment For Sepsis Is Put To The Test

Researchers have devised a large clinical study to quickly assess whether one doctor's apparently effective treatment for deadly sepsis is a fluke or worthy of widespread use.
Shauna Pelfrey talks to her husband, Dorian, while preparing for his dialysis appointment.

Dr. Jonathan Sevransky was intrigued when he heard that a well-known physician in Virginia had reported remarkable results from a simple treatment for sepsis. Could the leading cause of death in hospitals really be treated with intravenous vitamin C, the vitamin thiamine and doses of steroids?

"Hundreds of thousands of people die in the U.S. every year and millions of people in the world die of this," says Sevransky, a critical-care physician at Emory University. "So when somebody comes out with a potential treatment that is cheap and relatively easily available, it's something you want to think about."

Sevransky ended up doing much more than thinking about it. The Marcus Foundation in Atlanta, a major donor to Emory, approached critical-care doctors there after hearing about the potentially revolutionary treatment and offered to fund a careful scientific study to see if it actually worked.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR2 min readCrime & Violence
Guatemalan AG Raids Save The Children Office Over A Migrant Children Rights Complaint
Prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche said that the complaint filed by an unidentified foreigner had raised serious concerns because it involved allegations of abuse of children.
NPR2 min read
New Staffing Updates To The Short Wave Team
Congratulations to Berly McCoy and Rachel Carlson for becomming permanent producers and Regina G. Barber for becomming full time co-host!
NPR2 min read
Chicago's 'Rat Hole' Is Removed After The City Determined The Sidewalk Was Damaged
The imprint of an animal had been a quirk of a residential block in Chicago's North Side for years but a post on social media brought it new fame, which neighbors found to be a nuisance.

Related Books & Audiobooks