Does methylprednisolone provide protective effect in total aortic arch replacement requiring hypothermia circulatory arrest and selective cerebral perfusion?

Background Glucocorticoids (GC)were applied in total aortic arch replacement (TAAR) at various dosages in many centers, but with limited evidence. Methods The retrospective study was aimed to evaluate whether methylprednisolone was associated with better postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing TAAR. Patients undergoing TAAR with moderate hypothermia and selective cerebral perfusion between 2017.1 to 2018.12 in Fuwai hospital were classified into three groups according to doses of methylprednisolone given in the surgery: large-GC group (1500–3000 mg); medium-GC group (500–1000 mg) and no-GC group (0 mg). Postoperative outcomes were compared among three groups. Multivariable analysis was performed to identify the association of methylprednisolone with outcomes. Results Three hundred twenty-eight patients were enrolled. Two hundred twenty-eight were in the large-GC group, 34 were in the medium-GC group, and 66 were in the no-GC group. The incidences of major adverse outcomes in large-GC, medium-GC and no-GC groups were 22.8%, 17.6% and 18.2%, respectively, with no statistical difference. A significant difference was observed in post-cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) fresh frozen plasma (FFP) transfusion ( p < .001) and chest drainage volume ( p < .001). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that methylprednisolone was not associated with better outcomes ( p = .455), while large doses of methylprednisolone were significantly associated with excessive chest drainage (over 2000 mL) [OR (99% CI) 4.282 (1.66–11.044), p < .001] and excessive post-CPB FFP transfusion (over 400 mL) [OR (99% CI) 2.208 (1.027–4.747), p = .008]. Conclusions Large doses of methylprednisolone (1500–3000 mg) did not show a protective effect in TAAR with moderate hypothermia arrest plus selective cerebral perfusion and might increase postoperative bleeding and FFP transfusion.