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 confines of the abdominal cavity, a gunshot wound to the groin, and in which a temporary intraluminal shunt was used to maintain distal perfusion while the acidosis and coagulopathy were corrected in the intensive care unit. Successful vascular reconstruction was later completed with polytetrafluoroethylene.