Southern medical journal
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Salvage surgery is an essential method in the armamentarium of the surgeon caring for the severely injured patient. The patient in unstable condition with multiple abdominal injuries is a challenge, even to the most experienced trauma surgeon. The first priority should be to control major vascular injuries and other sources of bleeding that are immediately life-threatening. ⋯ Once surgically correctable bleeding has been addressed, such patients are best served by cessation of the operation, packing of the abdomen, and transfer to the intensive care unit. Resuscitative steps should then be taken. Once the physiologic derangement has been corrected, the patient can undergo definitive operative procedures.