We think this might be relevant to the clinical guidance for American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) Lung Injury Scale.
AAST Lung Injury Scale
AASTLung Injury Scale
Highest Finding (Imaging/OR)
Lung Injury Grading
Select the highest radiologic or operative finding to determine the AAST severity grade.
Guidelines & Evidence
Verified
Last Review: 2026
When to Use
The AAST Lung Injury Scale is indicated in patients with suspected pulmonary parenchymal or vascular trauma identified on chest X-ray, CT chest, or during thoracotomy. It is particularly useful in stable patients with hemothorax or pneumothorax after penetrating chest trauma and in blunt trauma with pulmonary contusion or laceration. The scale helps stratify injury severity and predict the need for operative intervention versus tube thoracostomy alone.
The scale has limited utility in guiding initial resuscitation of hemodynamically unstable patients. Immediate priorities remain airway control, decompression of tension pneumothorax, and massive transfusion protocol activation.