CAISS Injury Classification & Scoring 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which AIS body region encompasses injuries to the diaphragm, abdominal aorta, and solid organs such as the liver and spleen?
- Thorax
- Abdomen (Correct answer)
- Spine
- Pelvis
Correct answer: Abdomen
The Abdomen body region in AIS includes the diaphragm, abdominal aorta, and solid/hollow organs within the abdominal cavity.
Question 2: A patient has AIS scores of 4 (thorax), 3 (abdomen), and 2 (lower extremity). What is the ISS?
- 29 (Correct answer)
- 25
- 13
- 21
Correct answer: 29
ISS = 4² + 3² + 2² = 16 + 9 + 4 = 29.
Question 3: An AIS severity code of 2 corresponds to which injury descriptor?
- Minor
- Moderate (Correct answer)
- Serious
- Severe
Correct answer: Moderate
AIS 2 is classified as 'Moderate,' indicating an injury with some impact on function but not immediately life-threatening.
Question 4: When two injuries of the same severity occur in the same AIS body region, how does the ISS calculation handle them?
- Both scores are added together before squaring
- Only the higher score is used for that region (Correct answer)
- Both scores are squared and summed for that region
- The region is excluded from the ISS calculation
Correct answer: Only the higher score is used for that region
The ISS uses only the maximum AIS score within each body region; multiple injuries in the same region do not both contribute.
Question 5: The NISS (New Injury Severity Score) differs from the ISS primarily in that it:
- Uses a different AIS edition
- Allows multiple injuries from the same body region to contribute (Correct answer)
- Excludes head injuries from the calculation
- Squares the sum of all AIS scores
Correct answer: Allows multiple injuries from the same body region to contribute
NISS sums the squares of the three highest AIS scores regardless of body region, allowing more than one injury from the same region to count.
Question 6: Which of the following AIS codes indicates an injury that is NOT compatible with survival?
- AIS 4
- AIS 5
- AIS 6 (Correct answer)
- AIS 9
Correct answer: AIS 6
AIS 6 is defined as 'Maximal' and represents injuries that are currently unsurvivable regardless of treatment.
Question 7: Which AIS body region would classify a fractured cervical vertebra with spinal cord involvement?
- Head
- Neck
- Spine (Correct answer)
- Thorax
Correct answer: Spine
The Spine AIS body region covers vertebral column injuries including cervical spine fractures with or without cord damage.
CAISS Injury Classification & Scoring 2
Which AIS body region encompasses injuries to the diaphragm, abdominal aorta, and solid organs such as the liver and spleen?