Safety and efficacy of corticosteroid use in neurologic trauma

Neurologic trauma, which consists of acute spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury, is a leading cause of death and disability. In recent years, there have been improvements in the early recognition and prompt resuscitation of patients with neurologic trauma. However, there remain few pharmacologic treatments to reduce its secondary complications. Corticosteroids have been used in patients with neurologic trauma for more than 5 decades. Traditionally, their use has been to improve motor and sensory recovery. However, recently their utility to prevent and manage trauma-related pneumonia has been investigated. Given these new investigations, the purpose of this review article is to provide a comprehensive overview of the history and available scientific evidence surrounding the use of corticosteroids in neurologic trauma and caution against the use of these agents to prevent hospital-acquired pneumonia in this patient population.