Abstract Background Damage Control Surgery (DCS) is well established in the management of trauma. This study assessed the results of DCS in the management of critically ill patients who had not had trauma. Methods This was a prospective series of patients treated by DCS. The Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the enUmeration of Mortality and morbidity (POSSUM) and Portsmouth predictor equation (P-POSSUM) were used to predict the risk of death, which was compared with the observed mortality rate. Results Fourteen patients were studied. Nine had sepsis from gastrointestinal perforation. Eight of these underwent bowel resection without anastomosis or stoma formation at the initial laparotomy. Six patients later underwent bowel anastomosis and two had an end stoma formed at second laparotomy. A further three patients had a ruptured aortic aneurysm, one had a reactionary haemorrhage after elective aortic surgery, and one had a retroperitoneal bleed; all required haemostatic packing that was removed at second laparotomy. Mortality rates predicted by POSSUM and P-POSSUM scoring were 64·5 and 49·6 per cent respectively. One patient (7·1 per cent) died after operation, giving an observed mortality rate significantly lower than predicted (P = 0·002 and P = 0·038 versus values predicted by POSSUM and P-POSSUM, respectively). Conclusion The use of DCS in the treatment of critically ill patients resulted in a lower mortality rate than that predicted by POSSUM or P-POSSUM. DCS should not be restricted to trauma.