EXTENDING THE HORIZONS OF DAMAGE CONTROL IN UNSTABLE TRAUMA PATIENTS BEYOND THE ABDOMEN AND GASTROINTESTINAL-TRACT

''Damage control'' has become an accepted technique for the treatment of patients with exsanguinating injuries to the abdomen. We describe a case where the damage control philosophy was applied outside the conf ines of the abdominal cavity, a gunshot wound to the groin, and in whi ch a temporary intraluminal shunt was used to maintain distal perfusio n while the acidosis and coagulopathy mere corrected in the intensive care unit. Successful vascular reconstruction was later completed with polytetrafluoroethylene.