Surgical stress reduces mortality from endotoxin shock.

Background And Aim: Surgical stress has been considered a preliminary to multiple organ failure through what has been termed a "two-hit" mechanism. Recent evidence, however, suggests that such stress has a beneficial influence in reducing endotoxin [lipopolysaccharide (LPS)]-mediated lethality. This study has been an effort to clarify whether and how LPS-mediated septic shock is prevented by a previous insult with mild (laparotomy) or severe (hepatectomy) surgical stress.