Can a steroid save kids from septic shock?

NCT ID NCT03401398

Recruiting now Disease control Sponsor: Jerry Zimmerman Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether giving the steroid hydrocortisone to children with septic shock can prevent new or worsening organ failure. About 500 children in intensive care will receive either hydrocortisone or a placebo for up to seven days. The goal is to see if this treatment improves survival and quality of life at 28 days.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Hydrocortisone (a steroid drug)
What this could lead to: If it works, this could provide a standard treatment to reduce organ damage and death in children with septic shock.
What could go wrong: This is a large Phase 3 trial, but steroids can have side effects like infection risk. The benefit is not yet proven, and results may not apply to all children.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Sepsis toxic shock syndrome

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

SEPTIC SHOCK

Contacts and locations

Locations

Aga Khan University Hospital
RECRUITING

Karachi, Pakistan
Aichi Children's Health and Medical Center
RECRUITING

Nagoya, Japan
Alberta Children's Hospital
RECRUITING

Calgary, Alberta, T3B 6A8, Canada
BC Children's Hospital
TERMINATED

Vancouver, British Columbia, V6H 3N1, Canada
Boston Children's Hospital
RECRUITING

Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
Centre hospitalier de l'Université Laval
RECRUITING

Québec, Quebec, G1V 4G2, Canada
Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine
RECRUITING

Montreal, Quebec, H3T 1C5, Canada
Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario
RECRUITING

Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 8L1, Canada
Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
RECRUITING

Los Angeles, California, 90027, United States
Children's Hospital of Orange County
RECRUITING

Orange, California, 92868, United States
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
RECRUITING

Cincinnati, Ohio, 45229, United States
City Children's Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Hadassah University Medical Center, Ein Kerem
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Jerusalem, Israel
Hospital Jutta Batista - Rio de Janeiro
RECRUITING

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
IWK Health Centre
RECRUITING

Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3K 6R8, Canada
KK Women's and Children's Hospital
RECRUITING

Singapore, Singapore
King Abdullah Specialist Children's Hospital
RECRUITING

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Kobe Children's Hospital
RECRUITING

Kobe, Japan
Le Bonheur Children's Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Memphis, Tennessee, 38163, United States
London Health Sciences Centre
RECRUITING

London, Ontario, N6A 5W9, Canada
McMaster Children's Hospital
RECRUITING

Hamilton, Ontario, L8N 3Z5, Canada
Montreal Children's Hospital
TERMINATED

Montreal, Quebec, H4A 3J1, Canada
Nemours Children's Health
RECRUITING

Wilmington, Delaware, 19803, United States
Penn State Milton S. Hershey Children's Hospital
RECRUITING

Hershey, Pennsylvania, 17033, United States
Primary Children's Hospital
RECRUITING

Salt Lake City, Utah, 84108, United States
Rambam Health Care Campus
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Haifa, Israel
Royal University Hospital
TERMINATED

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7K 1M6, Canada
Saint Barnabas Medical Center
RECRUITING

Livingston, New Jersey, 07039, United States
Santa Casa de Misericordia Da Bahia
RECRUITING

Bahia, Brazil
Sarawak General Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Kuching, Malaysia
Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Petah Tikva, Israel
Seattle Children's Hospital
RECRUITING

Seattle, Washington, 98105, United States
Shifa International Hospital
RECRUITING

Islamabad, Pakistan
The Children's Hospital at Oklahoma University Medical Center
RECRUITING

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 73104, United States
The University of Illinois at Chicago/OSF Children's Hospital of Illinois
RECRUITING

Peoria, Illinois, 61603, United States
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital - Oakland
RECRUITING

Oakland, California, 94609, United States
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital - San Francisco
RECRUITING

San Francisco, California, 94143, United States
UKM Specialist Children's Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
University Malaya Medical Centre
RECRUITING

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
University of Arizona Medical Centre
RECRUITING

Tucson, Arizona, 85724, United States
University of Chicago, Comer Children's Hospital
RECRUITING

Chicago, Illinois, 60637, United States
University of Louisville, Norton Children's Hospital
RECRUITING

Louisville, Kentucky, 40202, United States
University of Wisconsin Health/American Family Children's Hospital
RECRUITING

Madison, Wisconsin, 53792, United States
Vietnam National Children's Hospital
RECRUITING

Hanoi, Vietnam

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