Effect of intravenous ascorbic acid administration on hemorrhage and wound complications in total abdominal hysterectomy: A prospective randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies mentioned the beneficial effects of vitamin C on the hemorrhage and wound healing. We evaluated the effects of vitamin C on the hemorrhage, hemoglobin concentration, and wound complications in total abdominal hysterectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 80 patients with total abdominal hysterectomy were randomly divided into the study and control groups to receive either intravenous 2 g of vitamin C in normal saline or solely normal saline therapy. The first 1-g dose of ascorbic acid was administrated the night before surgery, and the second 1 g was administrated during surgery. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 37.8 ± 4.8 years with a mean preoperative plasma vitamin C concentration of 5.07 ± 2.1 mg/dL, close to the subclinical deficiency. The basal characteristics of both groups were the same. The hemorrhage volume was slightly higher in the control group (345.2 ± 31.8 ml vs. 388.1 ± 28.3 ml, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Intravenous vitamin C administration had a positive effect on reducing hemorrhage during total abdominal hysterectomy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov.identifier: NCT03965637.