Corticosteroids are not effective in improving survival rate of patients suffering from last-stage ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome), according to new results from the ARDS Clinical Research Network of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health.
ARDS is a sudden and life-threatening lung condition that affects more than 150,000 on a yearly basis in the United States alone and develops in patients suffering from conditions such as pneumonia or sepsis or major injuries resulting in breathing failure.
From News-Medical.Net:
There is no specific drug treatment for ARDS. The focus of care is to get enough oxygen into the blood until the lungs are functioning again. Patients are placed in the intensive care unit and supported with mechanical ventilators and fluids. Some patients recover and can breathe on their own within a week or so. Others might need to be on mechanical support to help with breathing for longer periods of time, but they can develop long-term complications from ventilator use or other treatments.
Because ARDS is related to inflammation in the lung, steroids are sometimes used in the hopes of helping the lungs heal. Earlier small or observational studies have suggested that moderate doses of steroids given 7 or more days after the onset of ARDS might improve lung function and increase survival. But a larger randomized clinical trial – considered the gold standard in medical research – was needed to determine whether moderate doses of steroids are beneficial for patients with late-stage ARDS.
The involved researchers were quick to identify some early steroid treatment benefits, which appeared to reduce lung inflammation. One of the common side effects of steroids - more secondary infections - was also absent during the study findings.
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