Intraoperative Low-Dose Glucocorticoids in Surgical Patients With Abdominal Sepsis: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Background and Aims

Abdominal sepsis refers to a severe and potentially life-threatening condition characterized by the presence of infection, inflammation, and tissue damage within the abdominal cavity. Glucocorticoids (GCs) play an important role in regulation of the host immune and inflammation responses involved in sepsis and surgery. This study aimed to investigate the potential impact of intraoperative GCs administration on the clinical outcome of surgical patients with abdominal sepsis.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study included a 1:1 propensity score–matched cohort of surgical patients afflicted with abdominal sepsis at two medical centers from January 2008 to December 2022. Patients were classified into low-GCs, high-GCs, and non-GCs groups according to the dosage of steroids used intraoperatively, and in-hospital mortality was designated as the primary outcome.

Results

This study included a total of 476 patients, with 217 in the non-GCs group, 213 in the low-GCs group, and 46 in the high-GCs group. The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 7.56%. After propensity score matching (PSM), there were 168 cases in both the low-GCs group and the non-GCs group, with no significant differences observed between the groups regarding mortality rate, length of hospital-stay, and duration of intensive care unit (ICU) stay. In patients with septic shock, the use of low-dose GCs increased the urine output and decreased the requirements for vasopressors on the first postoperative day, however, it had no impact on the in-hospital mortality or ICU stay. Moreover, prophylactic use of GCs during anesthesia induction did not decrease the incidence of intraoperative hypotension or necessity of vasopressors use.

Conclusion

Intraoperative administration of low-dose GCs demonstrates a transient improvement in hemodynamics of patients with septic shock, however, it did not lead to improved clinical outcomes. Further research remains necessary to elucidate the optimal perioperative dosing strategy.