Low-dose steroids for acute exacerbations of COPD in a non-ICU setting: Worth consideration

[摘要] Despite guidelines recommending lowdose oral glucocorticoids over high-doseintravenous (IV) glucocorticoids for inpatientmanagement of acute exacerbations of chronicobstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), wehave observed that most patients still receivehigh-dose IV therapy before being transitionedto low-dose oral therapy at discharge. Clinicalinertia undoubtedly plays a signifi cant role inthe slow adoption of new recommendations, butin this era of evidence-based practice, the unfortunate lack of data supporting low over highsteroid doses for acute exacerbations of COPDalso contributes to hesitancy of physicians.

[学科分类] 卫生学