Editorial commentary: Abbreviated laparotomy: advantages and disadvantages in South African practice

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36303/SAJS.03689

Keywords:

damage control, abbreviated laparotomy

Abstract

Abbreviated or “damage-control” laparotomy, originally developed for care of severe exsanguinating trauma, is increasingly applied to emergency general surgery (EGS). The two papers in this “debate series” are timely and practical, given South Africa’s high surgical burden and variable resources, both for trauma and non-trauma.1,2

Author Biographies

MS Moeng, University of the Witwatersrand

Department of Surgery, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Charlotte Maxeke Academic Johannesburg Hospital, South Africa

TC Hardcastle, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Trauma and Burns Unit, Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital, South Africa
Department of Surgical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

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Published

2025-11-21

Issue

Vol. 63 No. 4 (2025)

Section

Guest Editorial

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Copyright (c) 2025 Author/s

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.