Abstract
Steroids influence the immune response and blood pressure in patients with septic shock. Many trials have evaluated a putative positive effect of steroids as an adjuvant therapy in patients with sepsis and septic shock, with contradictory outcomes. As a consequence, the use of steroids in sepsis patients varies widely. A recently published randomized clinical trial has demonstrated that treatment with hydrocortisone does not delay or prevent progress to septic shock in patients with sepsis. Based on the current available data, the use of steroids in sepsis should be reserved for those patients who remain severely hemodynamic unstable after fluid resuscitation and vasopressor therapy, or those with a separate indication for steroid therapy. A corticotropin stimulation test to evaluate adrenal insufficiency is not useful.
