Conclusion
The question of corticosteroid administration in septic shock is complicated. A thorough review of all of the clinical trials encompasses more than 60 years of research. Furthermore, the heterogeneity of the studies can appear to yield conflicting results; however, the literature must be distilled down to the specific question at hand: Do low-dose corticosteroids improve either mortality or shock reversal in adult patients with septic shock? The evidence suggests that corticosteroids do reverse shock faster, potentially freeing up valuable resources in the intensive care unit. Although the literature is heterogeneous, underlying themes remain in distinct favor of corticosteroid administration in patients with refractory septic shock. It is not clear that there is a distinct mortality benefit, but improvement of shock reversal is a consistent result.