CAISS – THORAX QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What does AIS define as part of the Chest? - Answers -Skin (excluding shoulder girdle
& sternoclavicular region), Trachea & Esophagus below the sternal notch, bronchus,
diaphragm, heart, lungs, rib cage, sternum, Thorcic vessels(including thoracic aorta &
vena cava), Thoracic Spine
What does ISS consider as part of the Chest? - Answers -AIS Thorax Chapter, Thoracic
Spine, Drowning
How is an "Open" chest wound defined? - Answers -Defined as a sucking chest wound
What region of the chest fills partly or complete with air, blood or mixture for a
pneumothorax, hemothorax, or hemopneumothorax? - Answers -Intrapleural space.
What does the presence of air in the intrapleural space indicate? - Answers -Tears in
the airway or chest wall, pneumothorax
What does the presence of blood in the intrapleural space indicate? - Answers -Torn
blood vessels, hemothorax
If a patient has flail and non-flail ribs on the right side how would you code? - Answers -
Unilateral flail chest and rib fractures without flail are coded only as flail.
How would you code rib fractures if the patient had flail on the right and no flail on the
left? - Answers -Code as two separate injuries
Define flail chest. - Answers -Three or more adjacent ribs each fractured in two or more
places
Is a costal cartilage fracture considered a rib fracture? - Answers -Yes
What is necessary to code lung contusion? - Answers -History of trauma & verified by
imaging or autopsy.
Can you code both a lung contusion and lung laceration? - Answers -Yes. Each are
considered independent injuries in the chest
If chest trauma is only diagnosised by it's sequela with no specific information how
would you code? - Answers -Thoracic injury NFS
What sequela's in the chest can be coded? - Answers -Air Embolus and Tamponade
When are branches of vessels coded? - Answers -When the primary vessel is named.
What does AIS define as part of the Chest? - Answers -Skin (excluding shoulder girdle
& sternoclavicular region), Trachea & Esophagus below the sternal notch, bronchus,
diaphragm, heart, lungs, rib cage, sternum, Thorcic vessels(including thoracic aorta &
vena cava), Thoracic Spine
What does ISS consider as part of the Chest? - Answers -AIS Thorax Chapter, Thoracic
Spine, Drowning
How is an "Open" chest wound defined? - Answers -Defined as a sucking chest wound
What region of the chest fills partly or complete with air, blood or mixture for a
pneumothorax, hemothorax, or hemopneumothorax? - Answers -Intrapleural space.
What does the presence of air in the intrapleural space indicate? - Answers -Tears in
the airway or chest wall, pneumothorax
What does the presence of blood in the intrapleural space indicate? - Answers -Torn
blood vessels, hemothorax
If a patient has flail and non-flail ribs on the right side how would you code? - Answers -
Unilateral flail chest and rib fractures without flail are coded only as flail.
How would you code rib fractures if the patient had flail on the right and no flail on the
left? - Answers -Code as two separate injuries
Define flail chest. - Answers -Three or more adjacent ribs each fractured in two or more
places
Is a costal cartilage fracture considered a rib fracture? - Answers -Yes
What is necessary to code lung contusion? - Answers -History of trauma & verified by
imaging or autopsy.
Can you code both a lung contusion and lung laceration? - Answers -Yes. Each are
considered independent injuries in the chest
If chest trauma is only diagnosised by it's sequela with no specific information how
would you code? - Answers -Thoracic injury NFS
What sequela's in the chest can be coded? - Answers -Air Embolus and Tamponade
When are branches of vessels coded? - Answers -When the primary vessel is named.
