Multiple organ failure (MOF) occurs as a result of unbridled systemic inflammatory response
syndrome (SIRS). Early epidemiologic studies identified uncontrolled late infection as the
predominant mechanism and, consequently, research efforts were focused on" infectious
models." Recently, it has been recognized that SIRS and eventually MOF can occur in the
absence of infection and that late infections may simply represent symptoms of MOF. Thus,
newer" inflammatory models" have been proposed with a consequent shift in research …