Despite significant advances in diagnosis, medical management and antimicrobial therapy, sepsis in the puerperium remains an important cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. The abnormalities associated with the clinical syndrome of sepsis result from a nonspecific innate inflammatory response. This is due to the fact that sepsis represents a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) to infection or injury; therefore, it can rapidly progress to septic shock and death despite aggressive treatment.