High-Dose Zinc Supplementation Therapy Does Not Improve Survival Rates in Severe Trauma Patients: A Single-Center...

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Nutritional Science
• Trauma Surgery

Background:

• Hypozincemia in severe trauma patients is linked to immune dysfunction and poor prognosis.
• Optimal zinc supplementation dosage for severe trauma remains unclear, particularly high-dose administration.
• Investigating high-dose zinc's impact on prognosis in mechanically ventilated trauma patients is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical utility and prognostic impact of high-dose zinc supplementation in severe trauma patients.
• To determine if zinc doses exceeding standard recommendations improve outcomes in mechanically ventilated trauma patients.
• To analyze the association between different zinc supplementation doses and 30-day survival rates.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective observational study of 196 severe trauma patients (Injury Severity Score > 15) requiring mechanical ventilation.
• Patients categorized into low (<15 mg), medium (15-50 mg), and high (>50 mg) daily zinc dose groups.
• Multivariable regression analysis adjusted for confounding factors to assess outcomes like 30-day survival, 90-day survival, ICU stay, and pneumonia.

Main Results:

• The high-dose zinc group exhibited poorer nutritional status and lower serum zinc levels.
• No significant differences in severity scores or primary/secondary outcomes were observed across dose groups.
• High-dose zinc supplementation was not associated with improved 30-day survival in adjusted analyses.

Conclusions:

• High-dose zinc supplementation offers no survival benefit in severe trauma patients requiring mechanical ventilation.
• Current findings do not support exceeding standard zinc doses for managing severe trauma.
• Further research may be needed to establish optimal zinc supplementation strategies in critical care settings.