Damage control surgery: are we losing control over indications?

Objective: to analyze the surgeons' subjective indications for damage control surgery, correlating with objective data about the patients' physiological state at the time the surgery was chosen.

Methods: we carried out a prospective study between January 2016 and February 2017, with 46 trauma victims who were submitted to damage control surgery. After each surgery, we applied a questionnaire to the attending surgeon, addressing the motivations for choosing the procedure.