Administration of Intravenous Ascorbic Acid-Practical Considerations for Clinicians.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Clinical Pharmacy
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Intravenous ascorbic acid (AA) shows potential in sepsis treatment.
• Clinicians need stability data for safe AA administration.
• Understanding AA solution stability is critical for clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the stability of diluted intravenous ascorbic acid (AA) solutions.
• To determine the impact of storage temperature, solution type, concentration, and light exposure on AA stability.
• To provide data supporting the safe preparation and administration of AA in clinical settings.

Main Methods:

• AA solutions (37-92 mg/mL) in normal saline or D5W were stored at 4°C and 25°C for 14 days, protected from light.
• Stability was assessed by measuring AA concentrations using liquid chromatography with UV detection at multiple time points.
• An additional study evaluated AA stability at 25°C with and without light exposure for 75 hours.

Main Results:

• AA solutions retained over 97.72% concentration at 4°C and over 88.02% at 25°C after 14 days.
• Storage temperature and study day significantly impacted AA degradation (p < 0.001).
• Solution type, concentration, manufacturer, and light exposure showed no significant impact on stability within the study parameters.

Conclusions:

• Ascorbic acid solutions are stable for at least 14 days when stored at 4°C and protected from light.
• Refrigerated storage is recommended for maintaining AA solution integrity.
• These findings support the safe use of diluted AA for intravenous administration in clinical settings.