Journal of cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia
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J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth.
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J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. · Feb 2011
Review Meta AnalysisProtective effects of steroids in cardiac surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized double-blind trials.
Cardiac surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) induce an acute inflammatory response contributing to postoperative morbidity. The use of steroids as anti-inflammatory agents in surgery using CPB has been tested in many trials and has been shown to have good anti-inflammatory effects but no clear clinical advantages for the lack of an adequately powered sample size. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of steroid treatment on mortality and morbidity after cardiac surgery. ⋯ A systematic review of RDB trials reveals that steroid prophylaxis may reduce morbidity after cardiac surgery and does not increase the risk of postoperative infections.