Defining the Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome in Equine Neonates.

Defining and describing the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and sepsis facilitated recognition and investigation of the complex disease processes involving the host response to infection and trauma. Over the years a variety of definitions of SIRS have been examined and applied to numerous research studies to improve critical care in both human and veterinary clinical practice. This article summarizes the history of the development of the SIRS definition, outlines the pathophysiologic processes that are involved in SIRS, and provides a specific definition for use in foal medicine.