Corticosteroids lowered short-term mortality in trials of adults with sepsis
A trial review found fewer deaths with corticosteroids than placebo, but subgroup summaries cannot identify the best dose or drug combination.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The pooled randomized trials found lower mortality with corticosteroids than with placebo among adults with sepsis or septic shock. This supports a short-term survival benefit in the studied population. The abstract’s subgroup results do not establish that a particular dose or adding fludrocortisone works better than another steroid regimen.
This abstract-based explanation lacks adverse-event results, subgroup confidence intervals, and direct statistical comparisons between regimens. It cannot establish the best balance of benefits and harms.
What researchers found
Death by 28 days
Reported mortality was 31.0% with corticosteroids versus 35.5% with placebo.
How to read the ratio
The risk ratio puts mortality with corticosteroids at 0.88 times the placebo risk. Its confidence interval spans 0.79–0.98 times that risk, all below equal risk. These are relative comparisons; the group percentages separately describe observed mortality.
Limits of subgroup results
Trials were grouped by steroid dose, type, and region. More favorable estimates in some subgroups cannot establish which regimen is best without a direct comparison between those regimens and its uncertainty.
The original publication
Corticosteroids for sepsis and septic shock: a meta-analysis of 18 RCTs with dose-stratified and fludrocortisone subgroup evaluation.
Ruyuan L, Zhangshun S, Hongling L et al.
BMC Anesthesiol · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41120996
- Record checked
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