Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps
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The results of prolonged and extensive procedures in the critically injured are poor, even in experienced hands. The operating theatre is a hostile and physiologically unfavourable environment for the severely injured patient. ⋯ The damage control concept places surgery as an integral part of the resuscitative process, rather than an end in itself, and recognises that outcomes after major trauma are determined by the physiological limits of the patient, rather than by efforts of anatomical restoration by the surgeon. All those involved in the care of wounded patients should be familiar with this concept and its surgical and logistical implications.