Figure 1

Biphasic model of organ failure. Depiction of the biphasic model of organ failure (MOF), originally coined by Moore[8]. The relative degree of immune activation is displayed on an arbitrary scale on the vertical axis. The horizontal axis indicates the time following trauma. When injury is sustained, a systemic pro-inflammatory response (SIRS) is evoked which can lead to the early version of MOF. At a later stage a compensatory anti-inflammatory response syndrome (CARS) or mixed antagonist response syndrome (MARS) can lead to immune paralysis and subsequently, the late form of organ failure.