The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Organ Injury Scale is Associated With Cystoscopic and Percutaneous Urologic Procedures in Renal Injuries

Background The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Organ Injury Scale for the kidney was created in 1989. It has been validated to various outcomes including operations. It was updated in 2018 to better predict endourologic interventions, but this change has not been validated. In addition, the AAST-OIS does not consider mechanism of trauma in its interpretation. Methods We analyzed 3 years of the Trauma Quality Improvement Program database including all patients with a kidney injury. We recorded rates of mortality, operation, renal operation, nephrectomy, renal embolization, cystoscopic intervention, and percutaneous urologic procedures. Results 26294 patients were included. In penetrating trauma, mortality, operation, renal-specific operation, and nephrectomy rates increased at every grade. Renal embolization and cystoscopy rates peaked in grade IV. Percutaneous interventions were rare across all grades. In blunt trauma, mortality and nephrectomy rates increased only in grades IV and V. Operation, renal operation, and renal embolization rates increased at every grade level. Cystoscopy rates peaked in grade IV. Percutaneous procedure rates only increased between grades III and IV. Penetrating injuries are more likely to require nephrectomy in grades III-V, cystoscopic procedures in grade III, and percutaneous procedures in grades I-III. Discussion Endourologic procedures are most utilized in grade IV injuries, which are in part defined by injuries with damage to the central collecting system. Despite penetrating injuries more frequently requiring nephrectomy, they also more frequently require nonsurgical procedures. Mechanism of trauma should be considered when interpreting the AAST-OIS for kidney injuries.