Corticosteroid therapy and pulmonary embolism in polytrauma patients

Problem: Pulmonary embolism is a frequent complication in polytrauma patients. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of low-dose corticosteroid therapy on the incidence of pulmonary embolism (PE) in polytrauma patients. Material and methods: We conducted a comparative study of two cohorts: a retrospective cohort without corticosteroid therapy (C-) and a prospective cohort with hydrocortisone hemisuccinate corticosteroid therapy (HSHC) at a dose of 300 mg per day for 7 days (C+).Results:175 polytrauma patients were included (83 patients for the retrospective cohort and 92 patients for the prospective cohort). PE was diagnosed in 15 patients (8.5%). The incidence of PE was significantly lower in the groups receiving corticosteroids (p=0.013). There was no significant difference between the C(+) and C(-) groups in terms of length of ICU stay (p=0.372) or ICU mortality (p=0.434).Conclusion: Low-dose corticosteroid therapy significantly reduces the incidence of symptomatic PE in polytrauma patients without affecting ICU mortality.