Combined Steroid Treatment for Congenital Heart Surgery Improves Oxygen Delivery and Reduces Postbypass Inflammatory Mediator Expression

Abstract

Compared with intraoperative steroid treatment, combined preoperative and intraoperative steroid administration attenuates inflammatory mediator expression more effectively and is associated with improved indexes of O2 delivery in the first 24 hours after congenital heart surgery. These findings need to be confirmed in a larger multicenter trial.