ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the frequency and consequences of prescribing corticosteroids for pneumonia in a biomarker-concordant manner. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a single-center retrospective cohort study of adults with pneumonia admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, between January 1, 2009, and June 30, 2014. Steroid use was "biomarker concordant" if given when C-reactive protein (CRP) was ≥150 mg/L or withheld when CRP was <150 mg/L, and vice versa for biomarker discordant. RESULTS: Of 3481 ICU admissions with community-acquired pneumonia, 169 (4.9%) had CRPs measured within 48 hours of admission to the ICU. Steroid use in the ICU was biomarker concordant in 88 (52%) patients and biomarker discordant in 81 (48%) patients. Biomarker-concordant steroid use was associated with faster resolution of lung injury: median fraction of inspired oxygen on day 3 (0.4 [0.3, 0.5] vs 0.3 [0.21, 0.4], P=.005), day 4 (0.35 [0.3, 0.5] vs 0.28 [0.21, 0.38], P=<.001), and day 5 (0.30 [0.24, 0.45] vs 0.28 [0.21, 0.40], P=.03), and increased ICU (3.5; 95% CI, 0.5 to 6.4, P=.02), and hospital-free days (3.6; 95% CI, 0.4 to 6.8, P=.03) on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: In critically ill patients with community-acquired pneumonia, steroid use is rarely biomarker informed and often discordant with inflammatory biomarker levels. Biomarker-concordant steroid use was associated with a faster recovery of hypoxemia and increased ICU- and hospital-free days. Future well-designed prospective studies are justified to test the potential value of biomarker-concordant steroid therapy.
ABSTRACT
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains an important clinical entity in the intensive care unit with a significant impact on morbidity and mortality. Effective therapeutic interventions are limited; thus current research focus has shifted from treatment to the prevention of this pulmonary syndrome. In recent decades, a decrease in the incidence of ARDS has been observed and this reduction is largely due to preventive strategies including safe lung ventilation practices, avoidance of iatrogenic exposures, and improvement in care of predisposing conditions such as sepsis and pneumonia. Early identification of at-risk patients, prompt treatment of predisposing conditions, and adoption of evidence-based best practice including restrictive transfusion strategies, conservative fluid management, avoidance of large tidal volume ventilation, and aspiration precaution practices are key preventive strategies with demonstrated benefits. There are currently no effective pharmacological preventive strategies for ARDS.
