Immunotherapy targets in critical care.

Advances in our understanding of the immune system and the body's normal response to injury have allowed for the development of innovative new therapies for critically ill patients. In the area of sepsis, significant information is being generated to support the concept that adjunctive immunotherapy can improve both morbidity and mortality. Investigational agents directed at immunotherapy targets that are currently being studied include colony stimulating factors, immunoglobulins, anticytokines, and opioid antagonists. This article reviews the basis for the use of such adjunctive immunotherapy in the critically ill patient.