Cited 1 times since 2007 (0.1 per year) source: EuropePMC Pediatric critical care medicine : a journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies, Volume 8, Issue 2, 1 1 2007, Pages 174-176 Do pediatric patients with septic shock benefit from steroid therapy? A critical appraisal of "Low-dose hydrocortisone improves shock reversal and reduces cytokine levels in early hyperdynamic septic shock" by Oppert et al. (Crit Care Med 2005; 33:2457-2464). van Schaik SM
Objective
To review the findings and discuss the implications of studies on the use of low-dose corticosteroids in septic shock.
Design
A critical appraisal of "Low-dose hydrocortisone improves shock reversal and reduces cytokine levels in early hyperdynamic septic shock" by Oppert et al. (Crit Care Med 2005; 33:2457-2464) with literature review.
Findings
Previous studies have shown that low-dose corticosteroids shorten duration of shock in adults with sepsis, which is confirmed by the results of Oppert et al. The benefit on mortality is much less clear. Review of the literature casts doubt on whether these data can be extrapolated to children.
Conclusions
There is some, albeit limited, evidence for the benefit of low-dose steroids in adults with sepsis. No supporting data are available for the pediatric population; therefore, a randomized controlled trial in septic children is needed.
