CAISS EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

CAISS EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Boxed & Bold Text - CORRECT ANSWER- Represent AIS coding rules and
conventions and contain directives to assist in the appropriate use of specific
descriptions.

Brackets - CORRECT ANSWER- Denote inclusive or exclusive information.

Parentheseses - CORRECT ANSWER- Include synonyms or occasionally, non-
clinical terms and provide a definition for the injury description.

Semicolons - CORRECT ANSWER- Separate injury descriptors that are
comparable in severity.

Bold Type - CORRECT ANSWER- Identifies an anatomical structure

Italics - CORRECT ANSWER- Are used for proper-named anatomical structures
or injuries, and for OIS grades.

AIS .1 - CORRECT ANSWER- Minor

AIS .2 - CORRECT ANSWER- Moderate

AIS .3 - CORRECT ANSWER- Serious

AIS .4 - CORRECT ANSWER- Severe

AIS .5 - CORRECT ANSWER- Critical

AIS .6 - CORRECT ANSWER- Maximum

Range of AIS severity codes - CORRECT ANSWER- 1-6

Is "DEATH" part of the AIS severity scale? - CORRECT ANSWER- No

Does a linear relationship exist between AIS severity codes? - CORRECT
ANSWER- No

,(T/F) Injuries within the same code may not be strictly compatible. - CORRECT
ANSWER- T

AIS .9 - CORRECT ANSWER- Unknown

(T/F) The AIS single digit severity number indicates the relative severity of injury
in an "average person" who sustains the coded injury as his only injury. -
CORRECT ANSWER- T

Average Patient - CORRECT ANSWER- Adult 25-40 years of age
Free of pre-existing conditions
Free of treatment complications
Receiving timely, appropriate care for the injury

Pre-dot Code - CORRECT ANSWER- 6 digits to the left of decimal point

AIS Severity Number - CORRECT ANSWER- A single digit to the right of the
decimal point.

Body Region - CORRECT ANSWER- The first number in the pre-dot code stands
for?

Type of Anatomic Structure - CORRECT ANSWER- The second number in the
pre-dot code stands for?

Specific Anatomic Structure - CORRECT ANSWER- The third & fourth numbers
in the pre-dot code stands for?

Level of injury within the specific body region and anatomic structure -
CORRECT ANSWER- The fifth & sixth numbers in the pre-dot code stands for?

(T/F) AIS assesses the severity of single injuries. - CORRECT ANSWER- T

(T/F) The ISS is the sum of the squares of the highest AIS in each of the (3) most
severity injured ISS body regions. - CORRECT ANSWER- T

There are how many ISS body regions? - CORRECT ANSWER- 6

ISS Body Regions - CORRECT ANSWER- Head & Neck
Face

,Chest
Abdominal & Pelvic Contents
Extremities & Pelvic Girdle
External

Head & Neck - CORRECT ANSWER- Include injury to the brain, skull, cervical
spine or neck organs.

(T/F) Asphyxia is assigned to the ISS Head region? - CORRECT ANSWER- T

Face - CORRECT ANSWER- Include injury to mouth, ears, eyes, nose and facial
bones.

Chest - CORRECT ANSWER- Include injury to abdominal and pelvic contents,
including all lesions to internal organs in the respective cavities and injuries to
diaphragm, rib cage and thoracic spine.

(T/F) Drowning is assigned to the Chest region? - CORRECT ANSWER- T

(T/F) The ISS is the sum of the squares of the highest AIS in each of the (5) most
severity injured ISS body regions. - CORRECT ANSWER- F

(T/F) There are 9 ISS body regions? - CORRECT ANSWER- F

(T/F) Asphyxia is assigned to the ISS Chest region? - CORRECT ANSWER- F

(T/F) Drowning is assigned to the Head & Neck region? - CORRECT ANSWER- f

Abdomen and Pelvic Area - CORRECT ANSWER- Include injury to Lumber
spine lesions.

External - CORRECT ANSWER- Injuries that include lacerations, contusions,
abrasions, hypothermia, electrical injury, whole body injury and burns are assigned
to what region?

1-75 - CORRECT ANSWER- The ISS score ranges from what to what?

(T/F) An ISS of 75 can be derived in 2 ways: one AIS .5 injury in each of three
body regions or a single AIS .6 injury. - CORRECT ANSWER- T

, Should patients with a AIS .9 code be included in research studies? - CORRECT
ANSWER- No

Underestimation of the ISS score - CORRECT ANSWER- Assigning injuries to
too few body regions can result in what?

Overestimation of the ISS Score - CORRECT ANSWER- Assigning injuries to too
many ISS body regions can result in what?

Injury - CORRECT ANSWER- The anatomic lesion resulting from a transfer of
energy rather than a complication or immediate sequelae is what?

Blunt, Penetration, Burns & Selected other Trauma - CORRECT ANSWER- The
AIS includes injuries from the what mechanisms?

(T/F) The AIS sometime permits the coding of immediate sequelae, but withing
strictly defined rules? - CORRECT ANSWER- T

(T/F) You can code suspected, possible or rule out diagnosis? - CORRECT
ANSWER- F

(T/F) Clinical diagnosis alone are not codable for certain injuries. - CORRECT
ANSWER- T

(T/F) In order to code clinical diagnosis, there must be back-up with a CT, MRI or
autopsy documentation. - CORRECT ANSWER- T

(T/F) Cranial Nerve Injuries or Basilar Skull Fractures are an exception to coding
clinical diagnosis. - CORRECT ANSWER- T

Basilar Skull Fracture - CORRECT ANSWER- Physical signs of raccoon eyes,
Battle signs, CSF rhinorrhea, CSF otorrhea and Hemotympanum are indications of
what?

(T/F) AIS allows coding of cranial nerve "contusion" if there is documented cranial
nerve weakness/paresis or subtotal loss of function? - CORRECT ANSWER- T

(T/F) AIS allows coding of cranial nerve "laceration" if there is documented
cranial nerve paralysis, or total loss of function? - CORRECT ANSWER- T