Damage Control Surgery: A Review of Principles and Basics

Before the concept of damage control, classical surgery aimed to solve all problems of the polytraumatized patient in a single surgery. However, the trauma patient has greater probability of death due to trans surgical metabolic alterations.

The “damage control” name was coined in 1993 by Schwab, in Philadelphia, and refers to the control rapid initial bleeding and contamination, temporary abdominal closure, resuscitation ITU (intensive therapy unit), and subsequent reexploration with definitive repair.

Through the DCS, it is intended to achieve first instantiates the reestablishment of normal physiology of the patient rather than the normal anatomy in the seriously injured patients. Damage control surgery it is a real value weapon to fight against the high morbimortality rate in severe trauma and non-trauma patients. It is not feasible in every patient; it has a very defined criteria to make it. Damage Control Resuscitation is as important as the damage control itself.