Martino EA, et al. - In order to determine the impact on mortality of corticosteroids in critical and perioperative settings, researchers carried out a meta-analysis of randomized trials. Randomized trials comparing corticosteroids with placebo or standard care in critically ill or surgical adult patients were identified as well as analyzed. In the overall critically ill population, the safety of corticosteroids was evident. A notable exception was brain injury patients, a setting where the use of corticosteroids resulted in a detrimental impact on survival, as corroborated by findings. Among patients with respiratory diseases and in patients with bacterial meningitis, results pointed towards a possible beneficial impact of corticosteroids on survival.