CAISS AIS Coding Principles 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following injuries would be coded in AIS body region 5 (Extremities)?
- Fractured sternum
- Ruptured diaphragm
- Comminuted femur fracture (Correct answer)
- Pulmonary contusion
Correct answer: Comminuted femur fracture
The femur is a long bone of the lower extremity; femur fractures fall under AIS region 5.
Question 2: An AIS severity score of 6 is defined as:
- Critical with uncertain survival
- Unsurvivable injury (Correct answer)
- Maximum survivable injury
- Severe but fully treatable
Correct answer: Unsurvivable injury
AIS 6 (Maximum) denotes an unsurvivable injury, meaning the injury itself is incompatible with life regardless of treatment.
Question 3: When calculating the Injury Severity Score (ISS) from AIS codes, which scores are used?
- The highest AIS score from all body regions combined
- The three highest AIS scores, each from a different body region, squared and summed (Correct answer)
- All AIS scores squared and summed across every region
- The two highest AIS scores from the most severely injured region
Correct answer: The three highest AIS scores, each from a different body region, squared and summed
ISS = sum of squares of the highest AIS score in each of the three most severely injured body regions.
Question 4: A tension pneumothorax would receive which AIS severity rating?
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 5
Tension pneumothorax is coded AIS 4 (Severe) due to its life-threatening hemodynamic effects if untreated.
Question 5: In the AIS seven-digit numeric code, what information does the seventh (final) digit represent?
- Mechanism of injury
- The AIS severity score (1–6 or 9) (Correct answer)
- The body region number
- The injury year of occurrence
Correct answer: The AIS severity score (1–6 or 9)
The seventh digit is the AIS severity score, which is the primary clinical summary value used in scoring and research.
Question 6: Which scenario correctly illustrates the use of AIS severity score 9?
- A spinal cord injury with complete paralysis
- An injury present on imaging but not further described in the record (Correct answer)
- A cardiac rupture incompatible with survival
- A pelvic fracture requiring surgical fixation
Correct answer: An injury present on imaging but not further described in the record
AIS 9 (Unknown) is assigned when injury is documented but insufficient detail exists to classify its severity.
Question 7: For AIS coding purposes, 'abrasion' injuries are generally categorized at which severity level?
- AIS 0 — No injury
- AIS 1 — Minor (Correct answer)
- AIS 2 — Moderate
- AIS 3 — Serious
Correct answer: AIS 1 — Minor
Abrasions are superficial skin injuries with no deeper tissue involvement and are consistently coded AIS 1.
CAISS AIS Coding Principles 3
Which of the following injuries would be coded in AIS body region 5 (Extremities)?