Statins for the Early Treatment of Sepsis

Inclusion Criteria: * Age \> 18 years * Initial presentation to the Emergency Department or University of Chicago MD office/Dialysis Center for current hospital admission * Sepsis (ACCP/SCCM criteria) 1. Clinically suspected infection as per the treating physician or confirmed infection 2. 2 or more of the following: Temperature 38ºC (100.4ºF)or 36ºC (96.8ºF), Heart rate (HR) \> 90/min, Respiratory rate (RR) \> 20/min or PaCO2 \< 32 mmHg, White blood cell count \> 12,000/mm3 or \< 4000/m3 or \> 10%immature neutrophils * Initiation of antibiotics by treating physician for sepsis * Hospitalized from the Emergency Department or University of Chicago MD office/Dialysis Center to an inpatient medical service (intensive care unit (ICU)or non-ICU service) OR admission to the medical ICU (MICU) from a non-ICU inpatient medical floor. * Assent of the primary treating physician at the time of enrollment. * The meeting of SIRS criteria is due to an infection as per the treating physician. Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnancy * ALT \>3 times above the upper limit of normal * Elevated creatine phosphokinase (CPK) (\>3 times the upper limit of normal) * Concurrent treatment with any of the following drugs: daptomycin, fenofibrate, ketoconazole,triaconazole, amiodarone, clarithromycin, cyclosporine, erythromycin,nefazodone, niacin, protease inhibitors, telithromycin, verapamil,danazol, gemfibrozil * History of allergy or intolerance to statins * Greater than 16 hours after meeting inclusion criteria * Use of 1 more doses of statins in the previous 4 weeks * Clinical indication for treatment with statin during hospital admission (per treating physician) * Sufficiently poor prognosis prior to enrollment that treating physicians have elected to employ comfort care or plan to discharge to hospice * Transfer from surgical service to medical service * Needing transfusion for either active bleeding or severe hemolysis.