Conclusions
The putative pleiotropic benefits of vitamin D supplementation warrant further in-depth exploration with adequately powered multi-centre randomised trials.
This would require reliable assessment of baseline vitamin D status and metabolites with standardised assays. The most effective and safe method of supplementation with respect to preparation, dose, route and frequency of administration are all important considerations. In addition, an appropriate population should be identified who are most likely to benefit from supplementation and stratification of the population or a priori subgroups may need to be considered. Finally, relevant patient-centred primary and secondary endpoints will need to be selected.
Abbreviations
1,25(OH)2D: 1,25 Dihydroxy-vitamin D; 25 hydroxy-D: 25 Hydroxy-vitamin D; CI: Confidence interval; CYPs: Cytochrome P450 mixed-function oxidases; DBP: Vitamin D binding protein; ECMO: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; ICU: Intensive care unit; IOM: Institute of Medicine; LC-MS/MS: Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry; NYHA: New York Heart Association; OR: Odds ratio; PICU: Paediatric intensive care unit; PTH: Parathyroid hormone; RCT: Randomised controlled trial; RR: Relative risk; RTI: Respiratory tract infection; SRM: Standardised Reference Material; UVB: Ultraviolet B light; VDRs: Vitamin D receptors
Availability of data and materials
Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.
Ethics approval and consent to participate
Not applicable.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Crit Care. 2018;22(276) © 2018 BioMed Central, Ltd.
Copyright to this article is held by the author(s), licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article's original citation.
