Six-year national study of damage control laparotomy and the effect of repeat re-exploration on rate of infectious complications.

Background: Damage control laparotomy (DCL) is a life-saving procedure in patients with abdominal hemorrhage. After DCL, patients are sometimes left with an open abdomen (OA) so they may undergo multiple exploratory laparotomies (EXLAP), or re-explorations. Patients with OA are at increased risk of infectious complications (ICs).