 Sepsis is a major cause of in-hospital death, with a higher mortality rate than events such as stroke and acute myocardial infarction, each with less than a 20 risk of death in the first 30 days. Sepsis is a clinical condition caused by the innate inflammatory host response to systemic infection that can result in organ failure and potentially death. Under certain circumstances, many components of the innate immune response that are normally involved with host defense can cause cell and tissue damage and subsequently multiple organ failure, the clinical hallmark of severe sepsis. 