[Measuring trauma severity using the 1998 and 2005 revisions of the abbreviated injury scale].

Objectives: This study aims to compare injury and trauma severity as measured by the 1998 and 2005 revisions of the Abbreviated Injury Sca le and to determine the mortality in the Injury Severity Score and the New Injury Severity Score in both versions.

Method: This cross-sectional retrospective study analyzed injuries of trauma patients from three university hospitals in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Each injury was coded using the Abbreviated Injury Scale 1998 and 2005. The statistical tests applied were the Wilcoxon, McNemar-Bowker, Kappa, and Z tests.

Results: Comparing the two versions resulted in significant disagreement regard ing the scores of certain body regions. With the 2005 version, injury and trauma severity levels were significantly decreased, and the mortality was higher at lower scores.

Conclusion: Injury and trauma severity were decreased and the percentage mortality was changed when the 2005 revision of the Abbreviated Injury Scale was used.