Endotoxin, a cell wall component of Gram-negative bacteria, plays a central role in the
pathogenesis of septic shock. By administering small doses of intravenous endotoxin to
humans, a variety of acute inflammatory responses are induced which are qualitatively
similar to those that occur during the early stages of septic shock. Within hours of the
administration of intravenous endotoxin to human volunteers, changes occur in systemic
hemodynamics, ventricular function, pulmonary gas exchange and permeability. In …