Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Apr 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialStress doses of hydrocortisone reduce severe systemic inflammatory response syndrome and improve early outcome in a risk group of patients after cardiac surgery.
Severe systemic inflammation with a vasodilatory syndrome occurs in about one third of all patients after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Hydrocortisone has been used successfully to reverse vasodilation in septic patients. We evaluated if stress doses of hydrocortisone attenuate severe systemic inflammatory response syndrome in a predefined risk group of patients after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. ⋯ Although we acknowledge the limitations of a nonblinded interventional trial, stress doses of hydrocortisone seem to attenuate systemic inflammation in a predefined risk group of patients after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass and improve early outcome.