Summary of 20+ studies
- Loading doses of 300,000 IU Vitamin D have been frequently used for adults
More than 300,000 IU is sometimes needed for adults
infants-Children might only need 10,000 IU per kg - Loading dose for the ICU should be given in a single day
An oral dose does not result in a full response for 3+ days
An injection does not result in a full response for several weeks - A gut-friendly form of Vitamin D should be used if patient has poor digestion
Nanoemulsion sublingual or topical are fast acting (hours)
Any form of vitamin D given just before/after surgery is better than none - All of the above also applies to ICU (Intensive Care Unit)
4.8 X more likely to die within 28 days of ICU if low Vitamin D - Jan 2024 - Vitamin D3, not Vitamin D2 should be used
- Note: Some Chemotherapies are amplified so much by Vitamin D as to result in death if dose size is not decreased
- 21+ studies: Much better outcome if add Vitamin D before/after surgery
- 11+ studies: improved ICU outcomes
- 15+ studies: Poor surgery outcomes if low vitamin D
- 4+ studies: Surgeries reduce vitamin D Levels
- 5+ suggestions for Vitamin D before/after surgery
- 20X fewer problems after surgery (noncardiac) if a high level of Vitamin D
- VitaminDWiki -
38 studies in both categories Surgery and Loading Dose
21+ studies: Much better outcome if add Vitamin D before/after surgery
- Orthopaedic surgeries need Vitamin D – many studies
- Rotator Cuff repair using Vitamin D lowers medical cost by 46 dollars – June 2023
- Better Surgical outcomes if preceded by Vitamin D loading dose – Oct 2018
- Little risk of infection after surgery if have more than 50 ng of vitamin D - 2014
- Children in Intensive Care need Vitamin D loading dose of 10000 IU per kg (nearing a consensus) - Oct 2016
- Esophageal Cancer surgery helped by 300,000 IU of Vitamin D – RCT Sept 2018
- Surgeries more successful if high vitamin D (tympanic membrane in this case) – Nov 2022
Heart
- Taking Vitamin D just before and after surgery helps (open-heart in this case) – RCT Feb 2021
- Half as much AFIB after bypass if 600,000 IU of vitamin D before surgery – RCT April 2022
- Getting Vitamin D before heart surgery prevented Afib in those who had been deficient – July 2018
Bone
- Foot and Ankle Surgeries should benefit from Vitamin D – Feb 2019
- Spinal Fusion complications 2.2 X more likely if low Vitamin D – Dec 2020
Brain
- Surgeries to re-establish blood in brain, heart, etc. are far more successful with high Vitamin D levels – March 2022
- Fewer days in hospital if 300,000 IU of vitamin D before brain surgery - RCT Feb 2021
- Traumatic Brain Injury – 120,000 IU of Vitamin D resulted in 3 fewer days on ventilators – RCT March 2020
Sepsis
- 3X less Septic Shock in children with sepsis getting 150,000 IU of Vitamin D - RCT June 2020
- Severe sepsis may be prevented by 400,000 IU of vitamin D – RCT 2023
- Urinary sepsis – a single Vitamin D injection reduced hospital days by 40 percent – RCT April 2018
Thyroid
- Half as many problems if take Vitamin D (300,000 IU) before thyroidectomy – RCT Jan 2021
- Pre-operative Vitamin D often helps (thyroidectomy in this case) – June 2021
- Vitamin D before surgery often helps (Thyroidectomy in this case) – Sept 2019
11+ studies: improved ICU outcomes
- 18 fewer hospital days if given 500,000 IU of vitamin D while ventilated in ICU – RCT June 2016
- Fewer days in ICU after 300,000 IU of vitamin D, but not 540,000 – meta-analysis Aug 2020
- Heart attack ICU costs cut in half by Vitamin D – Oct 2018
- Hospital ICU added high dose vitamin D - malpractice lawsuit costs dropped from 26 million dollars to ZERO - Oct 2016
- ICU adults getting 540,000 IU of Vitamin D were 2X more likely to be alive 30 days later – RCT June 2019
- ICU cost reduced by at least 27,000 dollars if get high dose vitamin D in first week - April 2017
- ICU mortality reduced by non-oral vitamin D – meta-analysis May 2021
- ICU patients greatly helped by Vitamin D loading doses – if gut-friendly – Oct 2020
- ICU survival increased with vitamin D single 540K IU loading dose - JAMA Sept 2014
- Those getting an injection of 300,000 IU Vitamin D got out of the ICU a week sooner – RCT Dec 2020
- Vitamin D loading doses reduce ICU mortality by 30 percent – meta-analysis April 2017
15+ studies: Poor surgery outcomes if low vitamin D
- Surgery outcome worse if low vitamin D (lumbar spine surgery this time) – Nov 2019
- Postoperative cognitive dysfunction 8 X more likely if low vitamin D – March 2018
- 3 additional hospital days after emergency neurosurgery if low vitamin D – Nov 2019
- Surgical Site Infection 4X more likely if low vitamin D – Aug 2019
- 40% less likely to recover from TBI with Intracranial Injury if low vitamin D – June 2022
- Crohn's Disease 4X less likely to reoccur after surgery if good level of vitamin D – Feb 2021
- Delirium or cognitive problems after surgery 1.5X more likely if low vitamin D –meta-analysis Aug 2022
- Kidney transplant rejection 1.8X more likely if low vitamin D – May 2021
- Low vitamin D at ICU admission is associated with cancer, infections, acute respiratory insufficiency and liver failure – Oct 2018
- More post-operative pain if low vitamin D before ( 2.4 X for Thoracoscopic) – Oct 2022
- Spinal Fusion complications 2.2 X more likely if low Vitamin D – Dec 2020
- Spinal Surgery patients – almost all have low vitamin D – Nov 2016
- Surgery outcome worse if low vitamin D (lumbar spine surgery this time) – Nov 2019
- Trauma with fracture – 2 weeks longer hospital stay if less than 10 ng vitamin D – Jan 2018
- Vitamin D deficiency with severe sepsis increased risk of dying by 7.7 X – Nov 2017
4+ studies: Surgeries reduce vitamin D Levels
- Critical illness – Vitamin D levels start low and then drop for several days – Feb 2018
- Vitamin D levels crash after various surgeries (cardiac in this case) – Nov 2021
- After hip surgery Vitamin D levels dropped by 32 percent – Sept 2018
- Surgeries often deplete Vitamin D - 300,000 IU resulted in little response – Nov 2018
- Pro-inflammatory cytokines cause the 74 percent drop in vitamin D after knee arthroplasty – Feb 2014
5+ suggestions for Vitamin D before/after surgery
- Vitamin D appears essential to survive many critical illnesses - review Oct 2018
- Give Vitamin D before all spinal surgeries – no testing needed – June 2020
- Vitamin D needed after most spinal surgeries (and before as well) – 2013
- Foot and Ankle Surgeries should benefit from Vitamin D – Feb 2019
- Use of Vitamin D in a trauma surgery - Dr. Matthews on Facebook – Jan 2020
20X fewer problems after surgery (noncardiac) if a high level of Vitamin D
The Association of Serum Vitamin D Concentration with Serious Complications After Noncardiac Surgery- 2014
 PDF
VitaminDWiki -
38 studies in both categories Surgery and Loading Dose This list is automatically updated
- Surgery complications cut in half by 300,000 IU of vitamin D 2 weeks before (hip and knee) – RCT May 2024
- Some ICU patients got 540,000 IU of Vitamin D: good responders lived longer than controls or poor responders – RCT June 2024
- Large dose Vitamin D before surgery was found to help by 35 studies
- Vitamin D is needed before most surgeries – many studies and RCTs
- Half as much AFIB after bypass if 600,000 IU of vitamin D before surgery – RCT April 2022
- ICU mortality reduced by non-oral vitamin D – meta-analysis May 2021
- Taking Vitamin D just before and after surgery helps (open-heart in this case) – RCT Feb 2021
- Half as many problems if take Vitamin D (300,000 IU) before thyroidectomy – RCT Jan 2021
- Fewer days in hospital if 300,000 IU of vitamin D before brain surgery - RCT Feb 2021
- ICU Vitamin D injection (300,000 IU) helped - RCT Feb 2021
- Those getting an injection of 300,000 IU Vitamin D got out of the ICU a week sooner – RCT Dec 2020
- ICU patients greatly helped by Vitamin D loading doses – if gut-friendly – Oct 2020
- Fewer days in ICU after 300,000 IU of vitamin D, but not 540,000 – meta-analysis Aug 2020
- 3X less Septic Shock in children with sepsis getting 150,000 IU of Vitamin D - RCT June 2020
- 100,000 IU daily of Vitamin D for 5 days increased Hemoglobin in Mechanically Ventilated adults – RCT Jan 2018
- Traumatic Brain Injury – 120,000 IU of Vitamin D resulted in 3 fewer days on ventilators – RCT March 2020
- Hip surgery with multiple doses of 50,000 IU of vitamin D weekly both before and after – RCT 2023
- Use of Vitamin D in a trauma surgery - Dr. Matthews on Facebook – Jan 2020
- Surgeries often deplete Vitamin D - 300,000 IU resulted in little response – Nov 2018
- 10 fewer days of ICU Mechanical Ventilation 300,000 IU injection of vitamin D – RCT March 2019
- Intensive Care (ICU) helped by Vitamin D – review of past and on-going studies – Dec 2018
- ICU adults getting 540,000 IU of Vitamin D were 2X more likely to be alive 30 days later – RCT June 2019
- Traumatic Brain Injury recovery helped by injection of 100,000 IU of Vitamin D – March 2019
- Rapidly restore Vitamin D levels with 10,000 IU per kg for children in ICU – RCT 2024
- Esophageal Cancer surgery helped by 300,000 IU of Vitamin D – RCT Sept 2018
- Severe sepsis may be prevented by 400,000 IU of vitamin D – RCT 2023
- Critically ill children – randomized clinical trial to give single doses of up to 400,000 IU of vitamin D – 2019
- Vitamin D loading doses reduce ICU mortality by 30 percent – meta-analysis April 2017
- Hospital ICU added high dose vitamin D - malpractice lawsuit costs dropped from 26 million dollars to ZERO - Oct 2016
- Children in Intensive Care need Vitamin D loading dose of 10000 IU per kg (nearing a consensus) - Oct 2016
- Vitamin D Loading dose - 20,000 IU daily is not enough if obese, etc. (Cancer) great table and chart – Oct 2016
- Rapid Normalization of Vitamin D in Critically Ill Children (10,000 IU per kg) – clinical trial
- VITdAL-ICU - AMA RCT Sept 2014
- Critically ill need vitamin D – how much and which test to use is TBD – Nov 2014
- ICU survival increased with vitamin D single 540K IU loading dose - JAMA Sept 2014
- 540000 IU before ICU raised vitamin D by 25 ng in 2 days – March 2011
- Hip surgery followed by 100000 IU then 1000 IU of vitamin D daily – June 2010
- 600,000 IU intramuscular D3 helped BMD after pancreatic surgery – June 2010
Vitamin D is needed before most surgeries – many studies and RCTs127168 visitors, last modified 10 Jan, 2024, This page is in the following categories (# of items in each category)