“This tells us that steroids may have a place in the treatment of critically ill patients in septic shock, and that maybe we want to do stim tests more often to determine who might benefit from steroid therapy,” he said.
The bottom line, according to Dr. Leffler, is that there is a huge cost associated with sepsis, in terms of dollars and lives. “We can do more for these patients in the emergency department than getting antibiotics on board,” he said. “If we improve their hemodynamics—through fluids, vasopressors, and possibly steroids—we can improve their chances.”