Objective: To assess the application value of the principle of damage control surgery (DCS) in treatment of liver trauma.
Methods: The clinical data of 168 patients with major hepatic trauma greater than grade III were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether the DCS principle had been applied or not, and then the differences in average operating time, complications, mortality and length of hospital stay between the two groups were compared.
Results: The length of hospital stay of the DCS group was longer than that of the one-stage operation group [ (24.5±3.2) d vs. (16.4±4.1) d] (P<0.05), while the average operating time, postoperative complication incidence and mortality of the DCS group were significantly lower than those of the one-stage operation group[(102±27) min vs. (224±35)min; 26.3% vs. 38.4%; 15.8% vs. 30.1%)] (all P<0.05).
Conclusion: The DCS principle is beneficial for management of patients with hepatic trauma, because it can reduce postoperative complications and mortality.