Lung Injury Scale | Medicalalgorithms.com

Traumatic injury to the lung can be graded based on the nature and extent of injury using the Lung Injury Scale.

NOTE: Hemothorax is graded with the thoracic vascular organ injury scale.

Grade	Injury Type	Description of Injury
I	contusion	unilateral involving < 1 lobe
II	contusion	unilateral involving 1 lobe
	laceration	simple pneumothorax
III	contusion	unilateral involving > 1 lobe
	laceration	persistent airleak from distal airway (> 72 hours)
	hematoma	nonexpanding and intraparenchymal
IV	laceration	major airway leak (segmental or lobar)
	hematoma	expanding and intraparenchymal
	vascular	disruption of a primary branch of an intrapulmonary vessel
V	vascular	hilar vessel disruption
VI	vascular	total, uncontained transection of the pulmonary hilum

If there are bilateral injuries, the grade is increased by 1 up to Grade III.

where:

• I am assuming that a Grade II lesion can be upgraded to Grade III, but not Grade III to Grade IV (see Testis Injury Scale).

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