- Damage control orthopaedics is an approach that contains and stabilizes orthopaedic injuries so that the patient’s overall physiology can improve
- It focuses on control of hemorrhage, management of soft-tissue injury, achievement of provisional fracture stability, avoiding additional insults to the patient
- It remains a clinical decision when to shift from early total care to damage control orthopaedics
- Days 2, 3, and 4 are not safe for performing definitive surgery as during this period, marked immune reactions are ongoing and increased generalized oedema is observed
- Patients who were treated with damage control orthopaedics demonstrated a lower risk of adult respiratory distress syndrome than those treated with initial intramedullary nailing
