Hydrocortisone infusion may improve survival in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia

Subjects: Forty-six patients admitted to the intensive care unit with clinical and radiographic evidence of pneumonia and either two minor or one major 1993 American Thoracic Society criterion for severe pneumonia. Patients with nosocomial pneumonia, immunosuppression, acute burn injury, pregnancy, life expectancy less than 3 months, and conditions requiring more than 0.5 mg/kg/day of prednisone equivalent (such as acute asthma and COPD) were excluded.