Journal of medicine and life
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The following article, submitted in two complementary parts deals with an important and also modern concept developed under the name of damage-control surgery. Physiopathologically, the multiple injured patient is characterised by the probable, not just possible, appearance of the "blood's vicious cycle" of hypocoagulability, hypothermia and acidosis with death as a result. The first part of the article addresses the changes that are the reasons and the basis for applying damage-control surgery. ⋯ From a practical point of view, hypothermia and hypocoagulability can be though, more theoretically addressed, acidosis is more difficult to correct. As fav as the emergency specialist is concerned for the moment, the best solution to deal with this deadly triad is to prevent it. Damage-control surgery is just one type of measure in the process of prevention.