Injury scoring systems for blast injuries: a narrative review
File(s)BJA-2021-00945-GA052.R2_Proof_hi.pdf (506.65 KB)
Published version
Author(s)
Hazell, George A
Pearce, A Phill
Hepper, Alan E
Bull, Anthony MJ
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Injury scoring systems can be used for triaging, predicting morbidity and mortality, and prognosis in mass casualty incidents. Recent conflicts and civilian incidents have highlighted the unique nature of blast injuries, exposing deficiencies in current scoring systems. Here, we classify and describe deficiencies with current systems used for blast injury. Although current scoring systems highlight survival trends for populations, there are several major limitations. The reliable prediction of mortality on an individual basis is inaccurate. Other limitations include the saturation effect (where scoring systems are unable to discriminate between high injury score individuals), the effect of the overall injury burden, lack of precision in discriminating between mechanisms of injury, and a lack of data underpinning scoring system coefficients. Other factors influence outcomes, including the level of healthcare and the delay between injury and presentation. We recommend that a new score incorporates the severity of injuries with the mechanism of blast injury. This may include refined or additional codes, severity scores, or both, being added to the Abbreviated Injury Scale for high-frequency, blast-specific injuries; weighting for body regions associated with a higher risk for death; and blast-specific trauma coefficients. Finally, the saturation effect (maximum value) should be removed, which would enable the classification of more severe constellations of injury. An early accurate assessment of blast injury may improve management of mass casualty incidents.
Date Issued
2022-02-01
Date Acceptance
2021-10-03
Citation
British Journal of Anaesthesia, 2022, 128 (2), pp.e127-e134
ISSN
0007-0912
Publisher
Elsevier
Start Page
e127
End Page
e134
Journal / Book Title
British Journal of Anaesthesia
Volume
128
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This manuscript is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Sponsor
The Royal British Legion
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34774294
PII: S0007-0912(21)00652-8
Grant Number
BMPF_P60304
Subjects
Abbreviated Injury Scale
blast injury
injury severity score
mass casualty incidents
new injury severity score
scoring system
trauma and injury severity score
trauma injury profile
Blast Injuries
Delivery of Health Care
Humans
Injury Severity Score
Mass Casualty Incidents
Prognosis
Time Factors
Triage
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Date Publish Online
2021-11-10