Damage control in trauma surgery

The technique or approach of damage control surgery in trauma is not new; packing liver injuries has been an accepted treatment strategy for some time. What is new is the realization that an abbreviated laparotomy, or completion of only the essential portions of the operation, is often the best treatment for the patient as a whole. Recent developments include strategies in the operating room and the intensive care unit to manage patients undergoing trauma laparatomy, including prevention of hypothermia, methods to accurately assess resuscitation status with right ventricular catheters and measurements of end-organ perfusion, and recognition of abdominal compartment syndrome, with emphasis on prevention. (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Inc.