Dexamethasone levels predict cortisol response after infant cardiopulmonary bypass.

Objectives: We sought to evaluate whether there is variability in blood dexamethasone levels after a standard 1 mg/kg dose of dexamethasone administered before infant cardiopulmonary bypass. We hypothesized that postoperative dexamethasone drug levels are highly variable, and that the infant stress response is related inversely to the amount of dexamethasone measured in the blood.

Methods: Thirty-two infants (age, ≤365 days) received 1 mg/kg of dexamethasone before cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) initiation.