Massive Small Bowel Infaction: A Comparison of Two Cases

We present two similar cases of massive small bowel infarction in which two different surgical approaches were employed, illustrating the advantages of the staged approach of damage control surgery. This comprises an initial operation, limited to bowel resection and temporary closure of the bowel ends, and a second performed after 48 to 72 hours where the bowel continuity is re-established. We strongly advocate such an approach as it appears to offer a quicker recovery with fewer complications.