CAISS STUDY GUIDE ALL QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS SET A+
✔✔When detailed information regarding an injury is lacking, what descriptor is often
used? - ✔✔NFS
✔✔NFS can refer to what two components of a code? - ✔✔1) injury unspecified
2) severity unspecified
✔✔Should patients with AIS code 9 injuries be included in research studies? - ✔✔NO
✔✔Fracture involving the joint? - ✔✔articular fracture
✔✔fracture type with 3 or more fragments with the proximal and distal fragments not
touching? - ✔✔complex fracture
✔✔fracture type where skin overlying the fracture is lacerated and communicates with
the fracture? - ✔✔open fracture
✔✔fracture type where skin overlying the fracture in not lacerated? - ✔✔closed fracture
✔✔fracture in which 2 ends of bone are not aligned? - ✔✔displaced fracture
✔✔fracture type that includes multiple bone fragments? - ✔✔comminuted fracture
✔✔Sprains are to ____________? - ✔✔joints (knee, ankle, etc)
✔✔Strains are to __________? - ✔✔muscles & tendons
✔✔Injury type involving massive destruction of body part w/damage to underlying body
systems (skeletal, organ, vascular) - ✔✔crush injury
,✔✔A vessel puncture or perforation is also known as a ______________. -
✔✔laceration
✔✔superficial, incomplete circumferential involvement, blood loss <20% - ✔✔minor
vessel laceration
✔✔rupture, transection, segmental loss, complete circumferential involvement, blood
loss >20% - ✔✔major vessel laceration
✔✔A muscle tear, rupture, or avulsion is also known as a ____________. -
✔✔laceration
✔✔Blood loss of > 20% is approximately how many cc? - ✔✔> 1000 cc
✔✔subtotal loss of function (assumed to be due to contusion) - ✔✔nerve paresis (palsy)
✔✔total loss of function (assumed to be due to laceration) - ✔✔nerve paralysis
✔✔When there is any question about the severity of an injury based upon all available
information the coder should chose the __________ severe AIS code in that category. -
✔✔least
✔✔Brain death/blindness are consequences of injury and can or cannot be coded? -
✔✔cannot
✔✔Is a foreign body considered and injury in and of itself? - ✔✔NO (cannot code)
✔✔(T/F) Bilateral injures of kidneys, eyes, ears, and extremities are typically codes as
separate injuries (with some exceptions). - ✔✔TRUE
✔✔(T/F) Multiple fractures to the same bone but in different areas are coded separately.
- ✔✔TRUE
✔✔(T/F) If multiple fractures to a single bone exist but are not specified as to location,
they are coded as a single injury. - ✔✔TRUE
✔✔If a specific skin lesion is unknown or not required, what AIS code is assigned? -
✔✔910000.1 (Soft Tissue Injury NFS)
✔✔When a "crush" code is used, are the separate underlying injuries coded separately
as well? - ✔✔NO
, ✔✔The term "transection" should be coded as complete or incomplete? - ✔✔complete
✔✔(T/F) When a vessel injury and related organ injury occur together, if the descriptor
includes the vessel injury in the organ injury descriptor it should still be coded
separately. - ✔✔FALSE (do not code vessel injury separately if included in organ injury
descriptor)
✔✔Are branches of vessels coded as separate injuries? - ✔✔NO (unless named/listed
in descriptor)
✔✔When more than one injury claims the qualifier "blood loss > 20%," the blood loss is
assigned to which associated injury? - ✔✔most severe
✔✔Blood loss of 20% in a 100 kg patient is approximately how many cc? - ✔✔1500 cc
✔✔List the four (4) types of injures defined as penetrating? - ✔✔1) GSW
2) Stabbing
3) impalement
4) spearing-type
✔✔Penetrating injuries that do not involve internal organs or structures should be coded
under what ISS body region? - ✔✔External
✔✔A penetrating injury to the skull is coded under what ISS body region? -
✔✔Head/Neck
✔✔A penetrating injury to the face w/ massive destruction is coded under what ISS
body region? - ✔✔Face
✔✔Are entry/exit wounds reflected in the severity of internal organ/structure injuries? -
✔✔YES
✔✔If a single penetrating injury to the brain involves more than one structure (entry to
cerebrum, exit cerebellum) do you code each region separately? - ✔✔NO (use whole
area section)
✔✔(T/F) When a penetrating injury exists, and using the penetrating code results in a
higher AIS than using subsequent qualifiers, the higher AIS penetrating code should be
used. - ✔✔True
✔✔Vague descriptions such as "blunt trauma" or "closed head injury" should be
assigned which AIS code? - ✔✔9
ANSWERS SET A+
✔✔When detailed information regarding an injury is lacking, what descriptor is often
used? - ✔✔NFS
✔✔NFS can refer to what two components of a code? - ✔✔1) injury unspecified
2) severity unspecified
✔✔Should patients with AIS code 9 injuries be included in research studies? - ✔✔NO
✔✔Fracture involving the joint? - ✔✔articular fracture
✔✔fracture type with 3 or more fragments with the proximal and distal fragments not
touching? - ✔✔complex fracture
✔✔fracture type where skin overlying the fracture is lacerated and communicates with
the fracture? - ✔✔open fracture
✔✔fracture type where skin overlying the fracture in not lacerated? - ✔✔closed fracture
✔✔fracture in which 2 ends of bone are not aligned? - ✔✔displaced fracture
✔✔fracture type that includes multiple bone fragments? - ✔✔comminuted fracture
✔✔Sprains are to ____________? - ✔✔joints (knee, ankle, etc)
✔✔Strains are to __________? - ✔✔muscles & tendons
✔✔Injury type involving massive destruction of body part w/damage to underlying body
systems (skeletal, organ, vascular) - ✔✔crush injury
,✔✔A vessel puncture or perforation is also known as a ______________. -
✔✔laceration
✔✔superficial, incomplete circumferential involvement, blood loss <20% - ✔✔minor
vessel laceration
✔✔rupture, transection, segmental loss, complete circumferential involvement, blood
loss >20% - ✔✔major vessel laceration
✔✔A muscle tear, rupture, or avulsion is also known as a ____________. -
✔✔laceration
✔✔Blood loss of > 20% is approximately how many cc? - ✔✔> 1000 cc
✔✔subtotal loss of function (assumed to be due to contusion) - ✔✔nerve paresis (palsy)
✔✔total loss of function (assumed to be due to laceration) - ✔✔nerve paralysis
✔✔When there is any question about the severity of an injury based upon all available
information the coder should chose the __________ severe AIS code in that category. -
✔✔least
✔✔Brain death/blindness are consequences of injury and can or cannot be coded? -
✔✔cannot
✔✔Is a foreign body considered and injury in and of itself? - ✔✔NO (cannot code)
✔✔(T/F) Bilateral injures of kidneys, eyes, ears, and extremities are typically codes as
separate injuries (with some exceptions). - ✔✔TRUE
✔✔(T/F) Multiple fractures to the same bone but in different areas are coded separately.
- ✔✔TRUE
✔✔(T/F) If multiple fractures to a single bone exist but are not specified as to location,
they are coded as a single injury. - ✔✔TRUE
✔✔If a specific skin lesion is unknown or not required, what AIS code is assigned? -
✔✔910000.1 (Soft Tissue Injury NFS)
✔✔When a "crush" code is used, are the separate underlying injuries coded separately
as well? - ✔✔NO
, ✔✔The term "transection" should be coded as complete or incomplete? - ✔✔complete
✔✔(T/F) When a vessel injury and related organ injury occur together, if the descriptor
includes the vessel injury in the organ injury descriptor it should still be coded
separately. - ✔✔FALSE (do not code vessel injury separately if included in organ injury
descriptor)
✔✔Are branches of vessels coded as separate injuries? - ✔✔NO (unless named/listed
in descriptor)
✔✔When more than one injury claims the qualifier "blood loss > 20%," the blood loss is
assigned to which associated injury? - ✔✔most severe
✔✔Blood loss of 20% in a 100 kg patient is approximately how many cc? - ✔✔1500 cc
✔✔List the four (4) types of injures defined as penetrating? - ✔✔1) GSW
2) Stabbing
3) impalement
4) spearing-type
✔✔Penetrating injuries that do not involve internal organs or structures should be coded
under what ISS body region? - ✔✔External
✔✔A penetrating injury to the skull is coded under what ISS body region? -
✔✔Head/Neck
✔✔A penetrating injury to the face w/ massive destruction is coded under what ISS
body region? - ✔✔Face
✔✔Are entry/exit wounds reflected in the severity of internal organ/structure injuries? -
✔✔YES
✔✔If a single penetrating injury to the brain involves more than one structure (entry to
cerebrum, exit cerebellum) do you code each region separately? - ✔✔NO (use whole
area section)
✔✔(T/F) When a penetrating injury exists, and using the penetrating code results in a
higher AIS than using subsequent qualifiers, the higher AIS penetrating code should be
used. - ✔✔True
✔✔Vague descriptions such as "blunt trauma" or "closed head injury" should be
assigned which AIS code? - ✔✔9
