DOES ANABOLIC STEROID PROTECT THE PATIENT UNDER INVASIVE MECHANICAL VENTILATION? A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Introduction: Patients on invasive mechanical ventilation are usually submitted to anabolic therapy to preserve the strength of the respiratory muscles and reduce morbidity and mortality. Objectives: To verify using a systematic review whether treatment with anabolic steroids in individuals using IMV promotes benefits in the outcomes: time on IMV, days of hospitalization, mortality, and diaphragm strength. And verify the association of anabolic agents and physiotherapy in this context. Method: Included: randomized clinical trials, over 18 years old, both sexes, on anabolic therapy during IMV, articles in English, Portuguese or Spanish, published until 2019. Researched databases: Medline, Lilacs, PEDro, Scielo, Scopus, Pubmed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. Results: 34 articles were initially found and only two works met all criteria, a total of 181 participants analyzed with a mean age of 42 ± 15.6 year old. There was no difference in the days on IMV, the length of stay in the ICU and the hospital, nor the number of deaths. No analysis of strength and functional capacity of the diaphragm has been described. Conclusion: There is no scientific evidence for the adoption of anabolic steroids in patients on IMV to reduce the time on IMV, hospitalization days, and mortality.