Toward an Epidemiology and Natural History of SIRS (Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome)

Patients with severe SIRS should not be assumed to have gram-negative infection; furthermore, data derived from studies of patients with gram-negative infection should be applied cautiously to all patients with SIRS. Studies of patients with sepsis or SIRS should include at least a 1-month follow-up if mortality is an end point. More consistent definitions of these disorders should permit more effective comparisons across studies.