Injury Severity Score (ISS)
Standardizes severity of traumatic injury based on worst injury of 6 body systems.
Rate only the most severe injury from each body system. Used primarily in research settings, so calculation of the ISS should not delay initial management of patients with traumatic injuries.
Advice
As the ISS is intended as more of a research tool, calculation of the ISS should not affect initial management of the patient with traumatic injuries.
Management
- In all trauma patients, initial treatment strategy should focus on the primary and secondary survey, and assessing and stabilizing the patient.
- This score is intended mostly for research purposes but may have broader clinical use in the ICU for prognostication following initial stabilization of traumatic injuries.