The New Jersey Standard Triage Criteria

The New Jersey standard triage criteria can be used to identify trauma patients who should be transferred to a trauma center.

Parameters used for triage process:

(1) physiologic

(1a) Glasgow coma score

(1b) systolic blood pressure

(1c) heart rate

(1d) respiratory rate

(2) anatomic

(2a) penetrating injury

(2b) flail chest

(2c) long bone fractures

(2d) pelvic fracture

(2e) spinal cord injury

(2f) major amputation

(2g) serious burn or electrical injury

(3) mechanistic

(3a) motor vehicle crash with ejection

(3b) extrication time from motor vehicle crash

(3c) motor vehicle crash with rollover

(3d) fall

(3e) pedestrian or cyclist injury

Parameter	Finding	Points
Glasgow coma score	> 12	0
	<= 12	1
systolic blood pressure	>= 90	0
	<= 89	1
heart rate	< 60	1
	60 – 130	0
	> 130	1
respiratory rate	< 10 breaths per minute	1
	10 – 29 breaths per minute	0
	> 29 breaths per minute	1
penetrating injury to head, neck and/or trunk	absent	0
	present	1
flail chest	absent	0
	present	1
long bone fractures	0 to 1	0
	> 1	1
pelvic fracture	absent	0
	present	1
spinal cord injury	absent	0
	present	1
major amputation	absent	0
	present	1
serious burn	absent	0
	present	1
serious electrical injury	absent	0
	present	1
motor vehicle crash	ejected	1
	not ejected	0
extraction time from motor vehicle crash	0 to 20 minutes	0
	> 20 minutes	1
motor vehicle crash with rollover	restrained	0
	unrestrained	1
fall	<= 20 feet	0
	> 20 feet	1
pedestrian or cyclist injury from being thrown or run over	absent	0
	present	1

from Table 1, page 657

number of items present =

= SUM(points for parameters)

Interpretation:

• minimum score: 0

• theoretical maximum score: 16, but practically probably 12

• The presence of one or more of these injuries would prompt referral to a trauma center.

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