Corticosteroid therapy for acute lung injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and severe pneumonia: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND: Randomized trials investigating the effect of corticosteroids in the treatment of acute lung injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and severe pneumonia have had mixed results. We sought to determine whether systemic corticosteroids reduce hospital mortality from these illnesses. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of published and unpublished randomized trials. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and CINAHL and …