CAISS Abdominal Injuries 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An AIS 3 abdominal injury is best characterized as which of the following?
- Fatal injury
- Serious but not immediately life-threatening (Correct answer)
- Minor with full recovery expected
- Critical with uncertain survival
Correct answer: Serious but not immediately life-threatening
AIS 3 denotes a serious injury with significant morbidity but is not immediately life-threatening and carries a reasonable prognosis.
Question 2: A Grade IV renal injury involving parenchymal laceration extending into the collecting system is coded at which AIS level?
- AIS 2
- AIS 3
- AIS 4 (Correct answer)
- AIS 5
Correct answer: AIS 4
A renal laceration extending into the collecting system corresponds to AIS 4, reflecting the complexity and potential for significant urinary extravasation.
Question 3: In AIS coding, adrenal gland lacerations are classified under which body region?
- Thorax
- Abdomen (Correct answer)
- Spine
- Pelvis
Correct answer: Abdomen
Adrenal injuries are coded within the abdominal region in the AIS classification system regardless of their retroperitoneal location.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes an AIS 5 abdominal injury?
- Superficial abrasion of the abdominal wall
- Liver laceration less than 3 cm
- Aortic laceration at the celiac axis (Correct answer)
- Single bowel contusion without perforation
Correct answer: Aortic laceration at the celiac axis
Aortic laceration at the celiac axis is a critical, life-threatening injury that meets AIS 5 criteria due to extreme hemorrhage risk.
Question 5: When assigning AIS codes, a contusion (bruising) of the abdominal wall without organ involvement typically receives which score?
- AIS 0
- AIS 1 (Correct answer)
- AIS 2
- AIS 3
Correct answer: AIS 1
Isolated abdominal wall contusion without organ injury is a minor injury coded as AIS 1.
Question 6: A diaphragmatic rupture with herniation of abdominal contents into the thoracic cavity is coded in which body region under AIS?
- Thorax only
- Abdomen only (Correct answer)
- Both thorax and abdomen
- External
Correct answer: Abdomen only
Diaphragmatic injuries are coded in the abdominal region in AIS regardless of the secondary thoracic involvement from herniated contents.
Question 7: Which scoring tool uses AIS as its input to produce an overall body injury severity score?
- GCS (Glasgow Coma Scale)
- ISS (Injury Severity Score) (Correct answer)
- RTS (Revised Trauma Score)
- TRISS (Trauma and Injury Severity Score)
Correct answer: ISS (Injury Severity Score)
The Injury Severity Score (ISS) is derived by summing the squares of the highest AIS scores from the three most severely injured body regions.
CAISS Abdominal Injuries 3
An AIS 3 abdominal injury is best characterized as which of the following?