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Glucocorticoids sometimes are given prophylactically to prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting or to reduce pain and swelling after certain surgical procedures. In a meta-analysis of 56 randomized trials, researchers explored the safety of this practice in 5600 patients who underwent elective noncardiac surgery and who received intravenous glucocorticoids or placebo preoperatively or intraoperatively — usually as a single dose. Nearly all studies used either dexamethasone or methylprednisolone.
No differences were found between glucocorticoid and placebo groups in the incidence of postoperative wound infection, any infection, impaired wound healing, anastomotic leak, or intraoperative or postoperative hemorrhage. The mean peak glucose lev…