ABSTRACT
Sepsis is the leading cause of critically ill patients in the Western world and its incidence continues to increase. This clinical syndrome complicates severe infection and is characterized by systemic inflammation and widespread tissue injury. Epidemiological analyses have shown that tissue injury secondary to activation of the inflammatory system may also complicate noninfectious disorders (e.g., acute pancreatitis). The term systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is used in this context to refer to the consequences
of a dysregulated host inflammatory response when infection is not seen (1,2).
