TNF and Shock: TNFα appears to play a critical role in sepsis and septic shock: TNFα seems to be sufficient and necessary for “septic shock” because (a) TNFα is found in patients and experimental models of “septic shock”, (b) TNFα administration causes cardiovascular shock, hypotension, intravascular coagulopathy observed in “septic shock”; and (c) TNFα neutralization prevents endotoxic- and bacteremia-induced shock (7–10).