Copd steroid dose in the ICU

Recommendation of the use of systemic steroids in chronic obstructive disease (COPD) exacerbation rely on trials that excluded patients requiring ventilatory support. In an open-label, randomised evaluation of oral prednisone administration, 217 patients with acute COPD exacerbation requiring ventilatory support were randomised (with stratification on the type of ventilation) to usual care (n=106) or to receive a daily dose of prednisone (1 mg·kg(-1)) for up to 10 days (n=111). There was no difference regarding the primary end-point, intensive care unit mortality, which was 17 (15...

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No abstract text is available yet for this article.

RATIONALE: Studies evaluating corticosteroid (CS) dosing for patients hospitalized with an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) have largely excluded patients admitted directly to the intensive care unit (ICU), and none have evaluated the effect of CS dosing regimens on mortality. OBJECTIVES: To examine the effectiveness and safety of lower- versus high-dose CS in patients admitted to the ICU with an AECOPD. METHODS: This pharmacoepidemiologic cohort study evaluated ICU patients with AECOPD admitted to one of 473 hospitals and treated with CS within the first 2 days between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2008...