SUMMARY BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:Sepsis is the main cause of death in patients treated in intensive care units (ICU). The aim of this study was to evaluate etiology, prognostic factors and mortality of septic patients treated in ICU of Passo Fundo, Brazil. developed SIRS (58%). The most frequent cause of internation was neurological disease (28.9%), the most frequent site of infection was the respiratory tract (71.6%), and the most prevalent pathogens were gram-negative bacilli (53.2%). Mean APACHE II score was 18 ± 9, and mean SOFA score was 5 ± 4. Median ICU stay was 6 (3-11) days and overall mortality rate was 31.1%: 6.1% for non-infectious SIRS, 10.1% for sepsis, 22.6% for severe sepsis, and 64.8% for septic shock. CONCLUSIONS: Sepsis is an important health problem that leads to an extremely high mortality rate in the ICU of Passo Fundo, Brazil. METHODS: