22 May Statins for Sepsis-Associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome?

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Jonathon D. Truwit, MD, MBA
Enterprise Chief Medical Officer
Sr. Administrative Dean
Froedtert-Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, WI 53226

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?

Dr. Truwit: Rosuvastatin did not reduce mortality, nor days free of the breathing machine, in patients with sepsis-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). One in four patients with ARDS die.

MedicalResearch.com: Were any of the findings unexpected?

Dr. Truwit:  Observational data suggested statins could reduce mortality in ARDS. The signal was large. We did not find this in a multi centered randomized blinded placebo controlled trial.

MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Truwit:  We can not recommend that clinicians start or continue statins in patients with sepsis associated ARDS.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Truwit:  Perhaps statins would be more effective if started in septic patients before they develop ARDS. However the window is between sepsis and ARDS may be very short, and most patients with sepsis do not develop ARDS.

Citation:

Rosuvastatin for Sepsis-Associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
he National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute ARDS Clinical Trials Network

May 18, 2014DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1401520

Last Updated on May 22, 2014 by Marie Benz MD FAAD