Lung injury-trauma grading
Lung injuries are graded I-VI with increasing severity having higher grading (e.g. grade VI injuries are not salvageable).
- Pulmonary contusion, unilateral that is <1 lobe
- Pulmonary contusion, unilateral, single lobe
- Pulmonary laceration resulting in simple pneumothorax
- Pulmonary contusion, unilateral, >1 lobe
- Pulmonary laceration resulting in persistent (>72 hrs) or airleak from distal airway
- Pulmonary hematoma that is intraparenchymal and nonexpanding
- Pulmonary laceration with major (segmental or lobar) airway leak
- Pulmonary hematoma that is intraparenchymal and expanding
- Pulmonary vascular injury with primary branch intrapulmonary vessel disruption
- Pulmonary hilar vessel disruption
- Total transection of pulmonary hilum (uncontained)
Note that one grade increase is indicated for bilateral injuries up to grade III. Hemothorax grading is by the thoracic vascular organ injury scale which is based upon the vascular injury resulting in the hemothorax.
Moore EE, et al. Organ injury scaling IV: thoracic vascular, lung, cardiac and diaphragm. J Trauma. 1994;36:229.
Trauma scoring. Trauma.org. Available at http://www.trauma.org/archive/scores/ois-lung.html (Accessed 23 April 2008)