Effect of hydrocortisone therapy on outcome and the incidence of infection in patients with septic shock

In the CORTICUS study, despite the fact that the median time to shock reversal was shorter in the hydrocortisone (HC) group, improvement of outcome was not demonstrated. This is explained as an increased incidence of superinfection, including new episodes of sepsis or septic shock, but the explanation seems to be unclear so there are still debates about the study. We examined the outcome of HC therapy and the effect on later infectious complications, especially fungal infection.