Ethics and Approval The present analysis is not associated with any clinical intervention, and therefore, the investigators have applied for a waiver of informed consent from either the patient or his/her next of kin. Moreover, the investigators have requested the permission to confirm previously recorded microbiological data through the hospitals' electronic databases The institutional review boards (IRBs) of the aforementioned hospitals have granted their approval for the current study. Evaggelismos Hospital approval No. 14/9/1/2015; 401 Greek Army Hospital approval No. 3/2015/5/2/2015; Larissa University Hospital approval No. 58905/2014/14/1/2015. Modifications of statistical terminology [from individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis to IPD re-analysis] and of infections' classification in the definition of the primary outcome were also approved by the Evaggelismos IRB (respective Approval Nos. 30/25/2/2016 and 29/25/2/2016) and communicated to the other 2, aforementioned IRBs. These approvals were ratified by the IRBs of the other 2 participating centers (401 Greek Army Hospital, IRB Decision No.: 4-2016/6/4/2016; Larissa University Hospital, IRB Decision No.: 5/19-5-2016/Θ.18). Additional, significant amendments of the analysis protocol aimed at primarily evaluating the effect of stress-dose steroids on lethal septic shock were approved by the Evaggelismos IRB (Approval No. 9/26/1/2017) and appropriately communicated to the other 2, aforementioned IRBs.