Summary
Damage control surgery
Márquez Rojas J, Blanco Fernández L, López Guerra D
Affiliation of the authors
Servicio de Cirugía General y del Aparato Digestivo, Hospital San Pedro de Alcántara, Cáceres, Spain. Servicio de Cirugía General y del Aparato Digestivo, Hospital Infanta Cristina, Badajoz, Spain.
DOI
Quote
Márquez Rojas J, Blanco Fernández L, López Guerra D. Damage control surgery. Emergencias. 2012;24:219-24
Summary
Damage control surgery (DCS) seeks to improve outcome in critical trauma patients with
abdominal injuries and diminished physiological reserve. DCS is a staged approach to
surgery that starts with a rapid intervention to control bleeding and contamination; this
step is followed by a period of reanimation and eventually the definitive repair of lesions.
Fast decision-making and selection of candidates, whether they have multiple injuries or
not, are fundamental in DCS. We review the indications, stages, and surgical procedures
to follow in DCS. We also discuss prognostic factors.