The difference between Injury Severity Score (ISS) derived front clinical observations (ISSc) and autopsy findings (ISSa) in a series of patients has not been established in Brazil. This scientific poster presents a study prompted by earlier work on this subject. The study compared the ISSc and ISSa scores of 45 trauma patients admitted to the Main Hospital of the Hospital das Clinicas of the Universidade de Sao Paulo School of Medicine in Brazil during January-February 1995. All of them were injured in motor vehicle crashes. Their injuries were scored according to the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) 1985 edition. The ISSc and ISSa were subsequently calculated. In 60% of patients, the ISS was discordant with the ISSc: the ISSa was higher than the ISSc in 48.9% of the patients. 55.6% of the patients died within the first 24 hours after admission to the Emergency Department (56% within the first 6 hours), 31.1% between 24 and 192 hours, and 13.3% after 192 hours. In the 0-24, the 24-192 and in the survival periods of more than 192 hours, ISSa and ISSc concordance was 28%, 64.3% and 33.3%, respectively. Concordance was strongest between the 24 and 192-hour survival period (p less than 0.05); discordance, in the survival period of less than 24 hours (72%). Seven patients in the interim of less than 24 hours arrived at the Emergency department with cardiorespiratory arrest; no injury description was found in their medical records. (A)
Abstract