EDITORIAL Myocardial dysfunction in sepsis: no role for NO?

The effects of nitric oxide on myocardial function in clinical sepsis are unclear, with studies in experimental models suggesting both beneficial and deleterious effects Sepsis and its sequelae 1 represent an impor-tant cause of mortality among the critically ill, particularly if cardiovascular dysfunction ensues. In these circumstances, refractory hypo-tension develops leading to multiple organ failure, and some 50 % of such cases fail to survive.2 Although sepsis is defined as the systemic response to infection, less than 50 % of patients with septic shock have positive blood cultures.3 Indeed, the clinical manifestations of sepsis may be seen in association with a variety o