Many cases of sepsis are recognized late, and patients are often inappropriately treated before entering the intensive care unit (ICU) by physicians unfamiliar with the signs and symptoms of the condition. Furthermore, treatment may be initiated by any of a number of physicians (anesthetists, hematologists, intensivists, infectious disease specialists, pulmonologists, and emergency physicians). There are presently various defined supportive strategies for treating patients with sepsis, but improvements are needed to reduce the unacceptably high mortality rate.