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Injury Severity Score

Clinical Research · NLM MeSH · updated 2026-10-29 · version 1

Citations verified against PubMedNot yet clinician-reviewed10 referencesApproximately 6 min read

An anatomic severity scale based on the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) and developed specifically to score multiple traumatic injuries.

Table of Contents

1. Definition2. Research landscape3. Reading the evidence4. Open-access studies5. Key reviews6. References7. About this article

Definition and research guide

This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.

Content available: 4 complete abstracts (1,162 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.

Definition

An anatomic severity scale based on the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) and developed specifically to score multiple traumatic injuries. It has been used as a predictor of mortality.

Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.

Also known as: Injury Severity Scores; Score, Injury Severity; Scores, Injury Severity; ISS Score.

Where it fits in the MeSH classification

Broader topics
Trauma Severity Indices

Research landscape

PubMed indexes 20,137 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Injury Severity Score” (counts retrieved 2026-10-29). 4,209 of them (20.9%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 8,560 records.

Reviews account for 1,722 records (8.6%) and meta-analyses for 119. Randomized controlled trials number 452 (2.2%) as a share of all records on the topic.

PubMed records by publication periodthrough 1999: 1,971 records; 2000-2009: 5,397 records; 2010-2019: 8,560 records; 2020 onward: 4,209 records1,971through 19995,3972000-20098,5602010-20194,2092020 onward
Records in PubMed indexed with this heading, by publication period. Real counts from NCBI E-utilities; the final period covers only part of the current year. Volume reflects how much has been published, not how strong the evidence is.
Show the data
PeriodRecords
through 19991,971
2000-20095,397
2010-20198,560
2020 onward4,209
Share of records by publication typeReviews: 8.6 percent; Meta-analyses: 0.6 percent; Randomized controlled trials: 2.2 percentReviews8.6% (1,722)Meta-analyses0.6% (119)Randomized controlled trials2.2% (452)
Share of all PubMed records on this heading that carry each publication type. Types overlap with other records, so the shares do not sum to 100%.
Publication-type chart data
Publication types among 20,137 PubMed records
TypeRecordsShare
Reviews1,7228.6%
Meta-analyses1190.6%
Randomized controlled trials4522.2%

Method: PubMed query "Injury Severity Score"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-29.

Reading the evidence in clinical research

Research methods determine how much a result can be trusted. Randomized trials guard against confounding, systematic reviews and meta-analyses combine many studies, and observational designs are valuable but can show only association. Reporting standards, trial registration and pre-specified outcomes reduce bias. When reading about a method, ask what problem it is designed to solve and which problems it does not solve.

Evidence from open-access studies

These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.

Study comparison — selected abstracts, not a systematic review
Study / authorsYearSource label / designEurope PMC citationsLicence / source
Primary amputation vs limb salvage in mangled extremity: a systematic review of the current scoring system
Schirò GR, Sessa S, Piccioli A, Maccauro G
2015Systematic review
Design not recorded in structured metadata
79cc by
PMID 26796522 · DOI · PMC4722671
Comparison of the Ability to Predict Mortality between the Injury Severity Score and the New Injury Severity Score: A Meta-Analysis
Deng Q, Tang B, Xue C, Liu Y, Liu X, Lv Y, et al.
2016Meta-analysis
Design not recorded in structured metadata
59cc by
PMID 27537902 · DOI · PMC4997511
Estimation of plasma fibrinogen levels based on hemoglobin, base excess and Injury Severity Score upon emergency room admission
Schlimp CJ, Voelckel W, Inaba K, Maegele M, Ponschab M, Schöchl H
2013Research article
Design not recorded in structured metadata
57cc by
PMID 23849249 · DOI · PMC4056007
Predicting the Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) in patients admitted to trauma centers after trauma: A modeling study based on data from the French National Programme for Medicalization of Information
James A, Hajage D, Simon-Tillaux N, Tezenas du Montcel S, Rufat P, Riou B, et al.
2026Research article
Design not recorded in structured metadata
0cc by
PMID 42607050 · DOI · PMC13480638

Primary amputation vs limb salvage in mangled extremity: a systematic review of the current scoring system [1]

Systematic review Schirò GR, Sessa S, Piccioli A, Maccauro G · · 2015 · cited 79 times (Europe PMC)

Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
Opening excerpt
BackgroundIn the last decades a lot of new reconstructive techniques were developed for the treatment of mangled lower extremity.
Closing excerpt
Moreover, undue enthusiasm for new surgical techniques can lead to increased morbidity and mortality in case of secondary amputation.
Interpretation limits
Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (353 words)

BackgroundIn the last decades a lot of new reconstructive techniques were developed for the treatment of mangled lower extremity. However failed attempt to limb salvage is related to high risk of mortality for the patient. Several scores were developed to establish guidelines for the decision to amputate or not, however in literature there is no consensus about the reliability of this scores.MethodsThe authors focused their attention on the most used score system to provide guidance of the management of a mangled lower limb. The search term used included mangled lower extremity, MESS, PSI, LSI and NISSSA. The inclusion criteria were: studies dealing with mangled lower extremity; articles reporting MESS, PSI, LSI or NISSSA scores; articles published in English in PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus and web of science in the last 30 years, minimum number of cases in study of 15, minimum follow up of 1 year.ResultsAccording with the criteria described above, we found 134 articles in PubMed, 165 articles in Scopus, 111 articles in the Cochrane Library and 108 articles in Web of Science. The most used score in literature is the MESS. Few results are shown using the other severity scores. There are a lot of controversies in literature about the use of this scale. MESS seems to be more accurate than the LSI in prediction of limb salvage. LSI score shows better results when applied to type III tibial fractures. High sentivity of the PSI score is described when applied to predict successful limb salvage. Low sensitivity and specificity are described for the NISSSA score. The literature is very poor of articles related to mangled lower extremity in children. Higher sensitivity and specificity are described for these scores in children when compared to adult population.ConclusionThe mangled lower extremity treatment is a challenge for the surgeon. Many scores were developed to help the surgeon, however they cannot be used as the sole criterion by which amputation decision are made and, in case of succesful limb salvage, they are not predictive of the functional recovery. Moreover, undue enthusiasm for new surgical techniques can lead to increased morbidity and mortality in case of secondary amputation.

Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 26796522 · DOI · PMC4722671

Comparison of the Ability to Predict Mortality between the Injury Severity Score and the New Injury Severity Score: A Meta-Analysis [2]

Meta-analysis Deng Q, Tang B, Xue C, Liu Y, Liu X, Lv Y, et al. · · 2016 · cited 59 times (Europe PMC)

Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
Opening excerpt
BackgroundDescription of the anatomical severity of injuries in trauma patients is important.
Closing excerpt
Further research is required to determine the appropriate use of the Injury Severity Score or the New Injury Severity Score based on specific patient condition and trauma type.
Interpretation limits
Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (286 words)

BackgroundDescription of the anatomical severity of injuries in trauma patients is important. While the Injury Severity Score has been regarded as the "gold standard" since its creation, several studies have indicated that the New Injury Severity Score is better. Therefore, we aimed to systematically evaluate and compare the accuracy of the Injury Severity Score and the New Injury Severity Score in predicting mortality.MethodsTwo researchers independently searched the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases and included studies from which the exact number of true-positive, false-positive, false-negative, and true-negative results could be extracted. Quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies checklist criteria. The meta-analysis was performed using Meta-DiSc. Meta-regression, subgroup analyses, and sensitivity analyses were conducted to determine the source(s) of heterogeneity and factor(s) affecting the accuracy of the New Injury Severity Score and the Injury Severity Score in predicting mortality.ResultsThe heterogeneity of the 11 relevant studies (total n = 11,866) was high (I² > 80%). The meta-analysis using a random-effects model resulted in sensitivity of 0.64, specificity of 0.93, positive likelihood ratio of 5.11, negative likelihood ratio of 0.27, diagnostic odds ratio of 27.75, and area under the summary receiver operator characteristic curve of 0.9009 for the Injury Severity Score; and sensitivity of 0.71, specificity of 0.87, positive likelihood ratio of 5.22, negative likelihood ratio of 0.20, diagnostic odds ratio of 24.74, and area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.9095 for the New Injury Severity Score.ConclusionThe New Injury Severity Score and the Injury Severity Score have similar abilities in predicting mortality. Further research is required to determine the appropriate use of the Injury Severity Score or the New Injury Severity Score based on specific patient condition and trauma type.

Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 27537902 · DOI · PMC4997511

Estimation of plasma fibrinogen levels based on hemoglobin, base excess and Injury Severity Score upon emergency room admission [3]

Research article Schlimp CJ, Voelckel W, Inaba K, Maegele M, Ponschab M, Schöchl H · · 2013 · cited 57 times (Europe PMC)

Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
Opening excerpt
IntroductionFibrinogen plays a key role in hemostasis and is the first coagulation factor to reach critical levels in massively bleeding trauma patients.
Closing excerpt
We propose that FIB can be estimated during the initial phase of trauma care based on bedside tests.
Interpretation limits
Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (264 words)

IntroductionFibrinogen plays a key role in hemostasis and is the first coagulation factor to reach critical levels in massively bleeding trauma patients. Consequently, rapid estimation of plasma fibrinogen (FIB) is essential upon emergency room (ER) admission, but is not part of routine coagulation monitoring in many centers. We investigated the predictive ability of the laboratory parameters hemoglobin (Hb) and base excess (BE) upon admission, as well as the Injury Severity Score (ISS), to estimate FIB in major trauma patients.MethodsIn this retrospective study, major trauma patients (ISS ≥16) with documented FIB analysis upon ER admission were eligible for inclusion. FIB was correlated with Hb, BE and ISS, alone and in combination, using regression analysis.ResultsA total of 675 patients were enrolled (median ISS 27). FIB upon admission correlated strongly with Hb, BE and ISS. Multiple regression analysis showed that Hb and BE together predicted FIB (adjusted R2 = 0.46; loge(FIB) = 3.567 + 0.223.Hb - 0.007.Hb2 + 0.044.BE), and predictive strength increased when ISS was included (adjusted R2 = 0.51; loge(FIB) = 4.188 + 0.243.Hb - 0.008.Hb2 + 0.036.BE - 0.031.ISS + 0.0003.ISS2). Of all major trauma patients admitted with Hb ConclusionsUpon ER admission, FIB of major trauma patients shows strong correlation with rapidly obtainable, routine laboratory parameters such as Hb and BE. These two parameters might provide an insightful and rapid tool to identify major trauma patients at risk of acquired hypofibrinogenemia. Early calculation of ISS could further increase the ability to predict FIB in these patients. We propose that FIB can be estimated during the initial phase of trauma care based on bedside tests.

Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 23849249 · DOI · PMC4056007

Predicting the Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) in patients admitted to trauma centers after trauma: A modeling study based on data from the French National Programme for Medicalization of Information [4]

Research article James A, Hajage D, Simon-Tillaux N, Tezenas du Montcel S, Rufat P, Riou B, et al. · · 2026

Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
Opening excerpt
BackgroundReliable mortality prediction is central to trauma research, quality assessment, and resource allocation.
Closing excerpt
This approach enables patient-specific assessment of trauma severity and mortality risk from PMSI, opening perspectives for nationwide surveillance and quality evaluation of trauma care in France.
Interpretation limits
Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (259 words)

BackgroundReliable mortality prediction is central to trauma research, quality assessment, and resource allocation. While the French national hospital discharge database (PMSI) provides comprehensive nationwide data, it does not capture clinical parameters required for established severity scores such as TRISS, which is used for predicting in-hospital survival after trauma and necessary for implementing national-level evaluations of health system performance. This study tested whether TRISS could nonetheless be accurately derived from PMSI data.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study of adult patients admitted for severe trauma to an academic trauma center between 2012 and 2023. Clinical data from medical records were linked with corresponding PMSI records. Surrogate predictors of TRISS were derived from PMSI codes. An extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) model was used, model performance was assessed using bootstrap validation and interpretability was explored through SHapley Additive exPlanations analyses.ResultsA total of 2,523 trauma patients were successfully matched between PMSI and medical records. Median age was 35 years, 79% were male, and in-hospital mortality was 15%. Correlation between Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II) in PMSI and medical records was strong (ρ = 0.88), while concordance for shock and coma was weak (κ ≈ 0.25). The XGBoost model using individual PMSI codes achieved the best performance (optimism-adjusted R2 = 0.72). SAPS II was the main contributor, with additional contributions from shock, coma, and anatomical injury codes.ConclusionTRISS can be reliably approximated from PMSI data using an XGBoost model. This approach enables patient-specific assessment of trauma severity and mortality risk from PMSI, opening perspectives for nationwide surveillance and quality evaluation of trauma care in France.

Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42607050 · DOI · PMC13480638

Key reviews and meta-analyses

The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.

  • Research article The subaxial cervical spine injury classification system: a novel approach to recognize the importance of morphology, neurology, and integrity of the disco-ligamentous complex [5]
    Vaccaro AR, Hulbert RJ, Patel AA, Fisher C, Dvorak M, Lehman RA, et al. · Spine (Phila Pa 1976) · 2007 · cited 278 times (Europe PMC)
  • Research article Organ injury scaling, II: Pancreas, duodenum, small bowel, colon, and rectum [6]
    Moore EE, Cogbill TH, Malangoni MA, Jurkovich GJ, Champion HR, Gennarelli TA, et al. · J Trauma · 1990 · cited 251 times (Europe PMC)
  • Research article Pathophysiology of Traumatic Brain Injury [7]
    Dixon KJ · Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am · 2017 · cited 180 times (Europe PMC)
  • Research article Noninvasive assessment of burn wound severity using optical technology: a review of current and future modalities [8]
    Kaiser M, Yafi A, Cinat M, Choi B, Durkin AJ · Burns · 2011 · cited 97 times (Europe PMC)
  • Research article Fibrinolysis Shutdown in Trauma: Historical Review and Clinical Implications [9]
    Moore HB, Moore EE, Neal MD, Sheppard FR, Kornblith LZ, Draxler DF, et al. · Anesth Analg · 2019 · cited 95 times (Europe PMC)
  • Research article A comprehensive analysis of factors influencing the injury severity of large-truck crashes [10]
    Zhu X, Srinivasan S · Accid Anal Prev · 2011 · cited 95 times (Europe PMC)

References

  1. Schirò GR, Sessa S, Piccioli A, Maccauro G. Primary amputation vs limb salvage in mangled extremity: a systematic review of the current scoring system. . 2015. PMID 26796522 · DOI · PMC4722671
  2. Deng Q, Tang B, Xue C, Liu Y, Liu X, Lv Y, et al.. Comparison of the Ability to Predict Mortality between the Injury Severity Score and the New Injury Severity Score: A Meta-Analysis. . 2016. PMID 27537902 · DOI · PMC4997511
  3. Schlimp CJ, Voelckel W, Inaba K, Maegele M, Ponschab M, Schöchl H. Estimation of plasma fibrinogen levels based on hemoglobin, base excess and Injury Severity Score upon emergency room admission. . 2013. PMID 23849249 · DOI · PMC4056007
  4. James A, Hajage D, Simon-Tillaux N, Tezenas du Montcel S, Rufat P, Riou B, et al.. Predicting the Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) in patients admitted to trauma centers after trauma: A modeling study based on data from the French National Programme for Medicalization of Information. . 2026. PMID 42607050 · DOI · PMC13480638
  5. Vaccaro AR, Hulbert RJ, Patel AA, Fisher C, Dvorak M, Lehman RA, et al.. The subaxial cervical spine injury classification system: a novel approach to recognize the importance of morphology, neurology, and integrity of the disco-ligamentous complex. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2007. PMID 17906580 · DOI
  6. Moore EE, Cogbill TH, Malangoni MA, Jurkovich GJ, Champion HR, Gennarelli TA, et al.. Organ injury scaling, II: Pancreas, duodenum, small bowel, colon, and rectum. J Trauma. 1990. PMID 2231822
  7. Dixon KJ. Pathophysiology of Traumatic Brain Injury. Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am. 2017. PMID 28390509 · DOI
  8. Kaiser M, Yafi A, Cinat M, Choi B, Durkin AJ. Noninvasive assessment of burn wound severity using optical technology: a review of current and future modalities. Burns. 2011. PMID 21185123 · DOI · PMC3131405
  9. Moore HB, Moore EE, Neal MD, Sheppard FR, Kornblith LZ, Draxler DF, et al.. Fibrinolysis Shutdown in Trauma: Historical Review and Clinical Implications. Anesth Analg. 2019. PMID 31425218 · DOI · PMC7340109
  10. Zhu X, Srinivasan S. A comprehensive analysis of factors influencing the injury severity of large-truck crashes. Accid Anal Prev. 2011. PMID 21094296 · DOI

About this article

Sources
NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
Verification
Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
Review state
automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
Version
1, last updated 2026-10-29.

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At a glance

20,137
PubMed records on this heading
21%
published since 2020
1,722
review articles
452
randomized trials
10
verified references below

Counts come from PubMed on 2026-10-29; they show how much has been written, not how strong the evidence is.

Related topics See all →

  • Abbreviated Injury ScaleClinical Research
  • Death CertificatesClinical Research
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  • Glasgow Coma ScaleClinical Research
  • Glasgow Outcome ScaleClinical Research

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