[The concept of damage control in pediatrics: everything a physician needs to know in practice]

The concept of damage control in pediatrics: everything a physician needs to know in practice. After the terrorist attacks in France and the rest of the world, children may be potential targets and be part of the victims. In order to prepare for these situations of «war medicine» our medical training is inadequate. It seems important to draw attention to the care strategy to adopt in these exceptional situations: the concept of «damage control resuscitation» from military experience in conflict zones aims to reduce preventable deaths, using simple and quick gestures. In practice, the goal is to control bleeding sites and to fight against the lethal triad of hypothermia, acidosis and coagulopathy to bring the patient to a minimalist rescue surgery in one hour. The success of this overall strategy depends on effective communication and coordination between pre-hospital teams on site and hospital teams with the sole objective: patient survival by prioritizing medical care and evacuations. Although the experience of damage control is limited in pediatrics, its principles can be applied to the child taking into account the particularities of its own physiology. It seems essential today for every physician, single witness or real frontline actor, to be familiar with these first aid techniques that could save children's lives.