113 severely septic surgical patients, with an initial sepsis score ≧ 17 (mean: 23 ± 4) were prospectively randomized to receive either high-dose intravenous IgG (IVIG group) or placebo (control group), in addition to conventional multimodal intensive care. The two patient groups were comparable for the severity of the initial sepsis and for other relevant clinicopathologic parameters. Mortality was significantly lower in the IVIG group (33%) than in the control group (64%; p