Appendix 1. MEDLINE search strategy

1 exp Glucocorticoids/
2 beclomethasone.tw.
3 (viarin or beclo azu or beclazone or apo‐beclomethasone or aldecin or propaderm or filair or bemedrex or ventolair or ascocortonyl or asmabec or aerobec or prolair or junik or becloturmant or becloforte or beclomet or beclocort or beclamet or sanasthmyl or becodisk or vancenase or beclovent or nasobec aqueous or aerobec forte or vanceril or becotide or beclorhinol or respocort or beconase or beclo asma or qvar or sanasthmax or bronchocort or beclazone or ecobec or becodisks).tw.
4 betamethasone.tw.
5 (cellestoderm or betadexamethasone or celeston* or flubenisolone).tw.
6 budesonide.tw.
7 (pulmicort or horacort or rhinocort).tw.
8 clobetasol.tw.
9 (olux or embeline or temovate or clobex or cormax or clobetasol or clofenazon or dermovate).tw.
10 desox?met?asone.tw.
11 (deoxydexamethasone or a41304 or a 41304 or topicort or stiedex or topicorte or ibaril or a‐41304 or desoxi or topisolon or flubason).tw.
12 dexamethasone.tw.
13 (millicorten or maxidex or decaspray or dexpak or dexasone or oradexon or decaject* or hexadecadrol or hexadrol or methylfluorprednisolone or decameth).tw.
14 diflucortolone.tw.
15 flumethasone.tw.
16 fluorodexamethasone.tw.
17 "fluocinolone acetonide".tw.
18 (jellin or synalar* or flucinar or alvadermo or capex or flusolgen or syn?mol or co‐fluocin or "fluortriamcinolone acetonide" or derma‐smooth or derma‐smooth or jellisoft or fluonid or fluodermo or cortiespec or fluocid or "derma smooth").tw.
19 fluocinonide.tw.
20 (lidex or lidemol or fluocinolide or topsym or novoter or tiamol or klariderm or lyderm or topsyn* or metosyn).tw.
21 fluocortolone.tw.
22 ultralan.tw.
23 fluorometholone.tw.
24 (efflumidex or cortisdin or fluor‐op or fml or "fluor op" or fluoro‐ophtal or "fluoro ophtal" or flucon or fluoropos).tw.
25 fluprednisolone.tw.
26 flurandrenolone.tw.
27 (flurandrenolide or haelan or cordran).tw.
28 melengestrol.tw.
29 methylprednisolone.tw.
30 (medrol or metipred or urbason).tw.
31 paramethasone.tw.
32 prednisolone.tw.
33 (diadresonf or predate or predonine or "di adreson f" or di‐adreson‐f).tw.
34 prednisone.tw.
35 (dehydrocortisone or decortin or encorton or predniment or kortancyl or enkortolon or decortisyl or rectodelt or meticorten or encortone or dacortin or "predni tablinen" or cortancyl or sone or panafcort or delta‐cortisone or cortan or "liquid pred" or pronisone or orasone or winpred or panasol or prednidib or sterapred or cutason or deltasone or ultracorten).tw.
36 triamcinolone.tw.
37 (aristocort or volon).tw.
38 (kenalog or tricort‐40 or tricort40 or "tricort 40" or cinonide or azmacort or kenacort).tw.
39 (hydrocortisone or alclometasone or algestone or clobetasone or clocortolone or cloprednol or cortisone or corticosterone or deflazacort or desonide or desoximetasone or diflorasone or difluprednate or fluazacort or flucloronide or flunisolide or "fluocortin butyl" or "fluperolone acetate" or formocortal or halcinonide or "halobetasol propionate" or halometasone or "halopredone acetate" or hydrocortamate or "loteprednol etabonate" or medrysone or meprednisone or "mometasone furoate" or prednicarbate or prednylidene or rimexolone or 21‐acetoxy‐pregnenolone or cortivazol or amcinonide or "fluticasone propionate" or mazipredone or tixocortol).tw.
40 or/1‐39
41 Heart Failure/
42 ((heart or cardiac or myocard*) adj2 failure*).tw.
43 (heart adj2 decomp*).tw.
44 or/41‐43
45 40 and 44
46 randomized controlled trial.pt.
47 controlled clinical trial.pt.
48 randomized.ab.
49 placebo.ab.
50 drug therapy.fs.
51 randomly.ab.
52 trial.ab.
53 groups.ab.
54 46 or 47 or 48 or 49 or 50 or 51 or 52 or 53
55 exp animals/ not humans.sh.
56 54 not 55
57 45 and 56