Injury Severity Score (ISS)

The Injury Severity Score (ISS) is a medical scoring system used to evaluate the seriousness of injuries in a patient, especially after a traumatic event like an accident. It scores injuries based on their severity in different body regions—head, chest, abdomen, pelvis, and limbs—assigning a score from 1 to 6 for the worst injury in each area. The ISS is calculated by taking the squares of the three highest scores from different body regions. A higher ISS indicates more severe injuries and helps guide treatment decisions and predict patient outcomes.