Effects of corticosteroids after total reapair of congenital heart desease with extracorporeal circulation

Background Nowadays, the use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) followed by systemic hypothermia is common in cardiac surgery procedures. CPB causes a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) that is markedly expressed in congenital caridiosurgical surgery programe resulting with deleterious consequences. Those effects are mediated through cytokines and others mediators of acute inflammatory response in circulation, which may lead to low cardiac output syndrome, multiorgan failure and lethal outcome after surgical total correction of congenital heart disease. The best method for SIRS prevention remains unclear, although some authors suggest perioperative use of corticosteroids. The study sough to evaluate the impact of perioperative corticosteroids on SIRS extent as well as clinical outcomes following total correction of congenital heart disease.