Damage Control in Liver Surgery

Damage control surgery is an old type of surgery practiced for many years to save the lives of badly injured patients. Damage control was first practiced in the American navy where a damaged vessel would receive minimal repair to keep it afloat. This translates to the field of medicine where minimal surgery is performed to save the life of a patient, and minimal action is taken to avoid major ailments, including hypothermia, acidosis, and coagulation defects during major trauma. Before World War II damage control surgery was popular, but later this type of surgery was abandoned. However, with a better understanding of the physiology of trauma and a revision of the outcome of badly injured patients, surgeons have reverted to damage control surgery, for example the packing of bleeding organs such as the liver and the controlling of sepsis, rather than taking patients to intensive care for further assessment. Damage control surgery has many benefits for badly injured patients and improves their chances of survival.