CAISS FINAL PAPER 2026 COMPLETE
ANSWERS VERIFIED
●● Rupture. Answer: Process / instance of breaking open or bursting to
forcibly disrupt tissue resulting in a hole, break or opening with stellate
edges or devitalized/fragmented tissue made through the entire thickness
of a membrane or other issue of an organ/structure.
●● Arch / Ring. Answer: Can be used interchangeably when describing
a portion of the vertebrae or pelvis.
●● Neurological Deficit. Answer: Loss in function of the nervous
system that was not present prior to injury and lasts for more than a
transient period (more than a few mins). Examples: weakness,
numbness, tingling, mental status change, dysfunction of language,
vision or reflexes
●● Major/Complex Laceration. Answer: Injury in which the tissues are
torn from a blunt or penetrating force. It must. Involve deeper tissues
(subcutaneous &/or muscle) causing jagged or irregular edges. Usually
requires a layered closure, revision of the jagged edges or extensive
cleaning or removal of debris.
, ●● Branches of Vessels. Answer: Not coded unless the branch has a
specific anatomical name or it is included within a vessel descriptor.
Must be a direct tributary of that vessel.
●● GSW with retained bullet in the bone. Answer: Coded as an open
fracture.
●● Vasospasm. Answer: May or may not show on imaging. It is a result
of injury not an injury in it's self therefore cannot be coded
●● Hemorrhagic Contusion. Answer: Code as a contusion since
Hemorrhagic is an adjective.
●● Brain Edema / Swelling. Answer: Code as defined by the provider.
●● Hypoxic Brain Damage. Answer: May be coded when hypovolemia
or hypoxia lead to this damage and the hypoxic brain is not directly
related to a lesion in the brain.
●● Penetrating Injury Skull. Answer: Any penetrating involving the
brain stem should be coded to 140216.6(penetrating injury brain stem)
no matter how many other regions are involved.
ANSWERS VERIFIED
●● Rupture. Answer: Process / instance of breaking open or bursting to
forcibly disrupt tissue resulting in a hole, break or opening with stellate
edges or devitalized/fragmented tissue made through the entire thickness
of a membrane or other issue of an organ/structure.
●● Arch / Ring. Answer: Can be used interchangeably when describing
a portion of the vertebrae or pelvis.
●● Neurological Deficit. Answer: Loss in function of the nervous
system that was not present prior to injury and lasts for more than a
transient period (more than a few mins). Examples: weakness,
numbness, tingling, mental status change, dysfunction of language,
vision or reflexes
●● Major/Complex Laceration. Answer: Injury in which the tissues are
torn from a blunt or penetrating force. It must. Involve deeper tissues
(subcutaneous &/or muscle) causing jagged or irregular edges. Usually
requires a layered closure, revision of the jagged edges or extensive
cleaning or removal of debris.
, ●● Branches of Vessels. Answer: Not coded unless the branch has a
specific anatomical name or it is included within a vessel descriptor.
Must be a direct tributary of that vessel.
●● GSW with retained bullet in the bone. Answer: Coded as an open
fracture.
●● Vasospasm. Answer: May or may not show on imaging. It is a result
of injury not an injury in it's self therefore cannot be coded
●● Hemorrhagic Contusion. Answer: Code as a contusion since
Hemorrhagic is an adjective.
●● Brain Edema / Swelling. Answer: Code as defined by the provider.
●● Hypoxic Brain Damage. Answer: May be coded when hypovolemia
or hypoxia lead to this damage and the hypoxic brain is not directly
related to a lesion in the brain.
●● Penetrating Injury Skull. Answer: Any penetrating involving the
brain stem should be coded to 140216.6(penetrating injury brain stem)
no matter how many other regions are involved.
