Steroid treatment in intubated patients with angioedema had no effect on length of time spent in intensive care unit, new research shows.
In this retrospective analysis, investigators included 3290 patients with angioedema, including 1241 intubated patients, who were admitted to 185 hospitals across the United States between 2016 and 2020. Angioedema cases were identified using diagnostic codes and mechanical ventilation procedure codes were used to calculate time of intubation. The researchers performed descriptive analyses of patient characteristics, including age, sex, types of angioedema, intubation duration, steroids administration, ICU hours, and the total length of stay (LOS).
Patients in this retrospective cohort study had either allergic angioedema, unspecified angioedema, or angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor angioedema. Overall, 62.61% of patients received steroids. Steroids were administered in 61% of patients with allergic angioedema, 63% in unspecified angioedema, and 63% of patients with angioedema induced by ACE inhibitors.
