Impact of steroid medication before hospital admission on barotrauma in mechanically ventilated patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome in intensive care units

Purpose To investigate the association between steroid medication before hospital admission and barotrauma in mechanically ventilated patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Methods An observational single-center retrospective study was conducted using patients admitted to the general intensive care unit (ICU) of a university hospital in Japan. We analyzed 149 mechanically ventilated patients with ARDS hospitalized between March 2008 and March 2011. ARDS was identified according to criteria from the Berlin Definition. Barotrauma was defined as pneumothorax, subcutaneous emphysema, or mediastinal emphysema occurring during mechanical ventilation in the ICU. The influence of steroid medication before hospital admission on barotrauma was studied using multiple logistic regression analysis. Results There were no differences in baseline patient characteristics except for congestive heart failure, peak pressure during mechanical ventilation, and steroid pulse therapy between the barotrauma and non-barotrauma groups. Logistic regression analysis showed that peak pressure ≥35 cmH 2 O was associated with barotrauma in patients with ARDS [odds ratio (OR), 17.34; P