As the effects on injury scaling of the differences between the 1980 and 1985 revisions of the AIS (abreviated injury scale) are unknown in blunt trauma, we compared then in all 1270 critically injured (median ISS, 26) blunt trauma patients (75% male, 74% road crash, overall mortality 17%) admitted to the Department of Critical Care Medicine at Auckland Hospital from 1983 through 1987. In 911 patients(72%) there were no differences between AIS-80 and AIS-85 in any body region or in derived ISS. Changes in AIS grades were most common in the abdomen (205 patients), thorax (100 patients), and head (61 patients) regions. Median ISS overall for the 1270 patients was unchanged at 26. One percent of patients had changes in ISS of 16-24 points. Direct comparison of groups of patients scored with these two revisions of the AIS is appropriate, particularly in those with abdomen region injury.(A).
Samenvatting