A Review of Current Evidence for the Use of Steroids in the Medical Intensive Care Unit
Patrick Jenkins,
Cory Cross,
Tony Abdo,
Houssein Youness,
Jean Keddissi
Affiliations
Patrick Jenkins
Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, The Oklahoma City VA Healthcare System and The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
Cory Cross
Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, The Oklahoma City VA Healthcare System and The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
Tony Abdo
Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, The Oklahoma City VA Healthcare System and The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
Houssein Youness
Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, The Oklahoma City VA Healthcare System and The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
Jean Keddissi
Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, The Oklahoma City VA Healthcare System and The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
Systemic steroids are frequently used in critically ill patients for their anti-inflammatory properties. Potential benefits of these agents should be balanced against their known side effects. In this paper, we review trials assessing the use of systemic steroids in common conditions requiring admission to the intensive care unit. These include septic shock, the acute respiratory distress syndrome, severe pneumonia, COVID-19, and hypercapnic respiratory failure due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We will mainly focus on well-conducted randomized controlled trials to determine whether steroids should be administered to critically ill patients presenting with these conditions.
