The use of steroids in patients with sepsis and septic shock has been controversial for decades. At present, the Surviving Sepsis Campaign recommends the administration of corticosteroids to patients with persistent shock despite fluid and vasopressor administration. In recent years, several trials have evaluated the addition of fludrocortisone, a potent mineralocorticoid, to hydrocortisone in septic shock. In this podcast, we review the latest study that evaluated the combination of hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone in patients with septic shock. Should we administer this medication with hydrocortisone for our patients with septic shock?
Critically ill patients commonly develop a dysregulated inflammatory response. Corticosteroids are hypothesized to be beneficial due to their anti-inflammatory properties. In recent years, several...
Emergency medicine, critical care, and resuscitationists often use the Shock Index to identify patients with increased mortality. The Shock Index is calculated by dividing...
The COACT trial demonstrated no improvement in 90-day mortality for post-arrest patients without evidence of an ST-segment elevation MI who were randomized to immediate...