Anesthesiology
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High-dose corticosteroids have been used to attenuate the inflammatory response to cardiac surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass, but patient outcome benefits remain unclear. Our primary aim was to determine whether using dexamethasone was superior to not using dexamethasone to increase the number of home days in the first 30 days after cardiac surgery. Our secondary aim was to evaluate efficiency, value and impact of the novel trial design. ⋯ Among patients undergoing cardiac surgery, high-dose dexamethasone decreased intensive care unit stay but did not increase the number of home days after surgery.