Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39888591›Full record

ArticleCritical care explorations2025

Corticosteroids in Cardiogenic Shock: A Retrospective Analysis of the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV Database.

Ghazal Haddad, David M Maslove, Lawrence Mbuagbaw, Emilie P Belley-Côté, Bram Rochwerg

Abstract read
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Article in Critical care explorations, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Ghazal HaddadDepartment of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-3547-6159
David M MasloveDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
Lawrence MbuagbawDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Emilie P Belley-CôtéPopulation Health Research Institute, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Bram RochwergDivision of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

importanceWhile corticosteroid administration in septic shock has been shown to result in faster shock reversal and lower short-term mortality, the role of corticosteroids in the management of cardiogenic shock (CS) remains unexplored.

objectivesDetermine the impact of corticosteroid administration on 90-day mortality (primary outcome) in patients admitted to a critical care unit with CS. DESIGN, SETTING, AND

participantsIn this retrospective cohort study, we used the critical care database of Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV, and included all adult patients diagnosed with CS excluding repeated admissions, patients with adrenal insufficiency, those receiving baseline corticosteroids, and those requiring extracorporeal life support. We considered exposure based on receiving systemic corticosteroids from 6 hours before to 24 hours post-critical care admission. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: We calculated Cox proportional hazards using multivariate analysis for 90-day mortality (primary outcome). We also explored the association of corticosteroid use with hospital length of stay, ventilator-free days (VFDs), vasopressor-free days, ventilator-associated pneumonia, central-line-associated bloodstream infections, and hyperglycemia.

resultsWe included 2000 eligible patients, with 143 (7.2%) receiving systemic corticosteroids. Corticosteroid-treated patients were younger (67.7 vs. 71.2 yr; p = 0.006), had higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores at baseline (9.4 vs. 7.8; p < 0.001), and more often required vasopressors (78% vs. 63%; p < 0.001), and invasive mechanical ventilation (73% vs. 45%; p < 0.001). Corticosteroid use was associated with increased 90-day mortality in multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.25-2.05) and fewer VFDs (2.8 d fewer; 95% CI, 0.35-5.26) with no effect on other secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Use of corticosteroids may be associated with increased mortality and a reduction in VFDs in patients admitted to critical care with CS. These findings suggesting potential harm of corticosteroids in CS might reflect unmeasured confounding and require corroboration through additional observational studies and ultimately randomized clinical trials.

Indexed as

Adrenal Cortex HormonesShock, CardiogenicAgedCritical CareDatabases, FactualFemaleHospital MortalityHumansIntensive Care UnitsLength of StayMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesAdrenal Cortex Hormones

Identifiers

PMID39888591
PMCPMC11789865

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.