[Lactic acidosis: a complication of spinal cord injury in multiple trauma]

Large-dose methylprednisolone has been advocated to lessen neurologic deficits in spinal cord injury for nearly a decade despite confounding statistical results in the Second National Acute Spinal Cord Injury Study (NASCIS-2). Recent retrospective studies found lack of significant functional improvement, increases in the incidence of infectious complications and an increase in ventilated and intensive care days in steroid-treated groups. We report on five cases with severe hyperglycemia and nonketotic metabolic acidosis in otherwise non-diabetic patients with multiple blunt injuries and an associated spinal cord injury. Those adverse effects were induced by epinephrine and aggravated by methylprednisolone. We conclude that high-dose methylprednisolone should be avoided in multiple injured or otherwise compromised patients potentially needing catecholamine support.