🌫️ Inhalation Injury Grading (Bronchoscopic AIS)
This tool grades inhalation injury severity by the abbreviated injury score (AIS 0–4) of the initial bronchoscopic appearance, framing airway management and ventilation strategy.
Inhalation Injury Grading (Bronchoscopic AIS)
Bronchoscopic appearance
When to use
Use after smoke/inhalation exposure to grade injury from bronchoscopy and anticipate airway compromise — particularly upper-airway edema, which can progress within 24 h.
How it works
Bronchoscopic appearance → AIS 0 (none) to 4 (massive, mucosal sloughing/necrosis). Grades 2–4 carry worse survival and prompt escalating airway clearance and lung-protective ventilation.
Key points
- AIS predicts mortality imperfectly; the revised Baux score (age + %TBSA + 17×inhalation) predicts death better, so combine the grade with TBSA and oxygenation. (original synthesis · not guideline verbatim)
- Facial/oropharyngeal burns, hoarseness, stridor, carbonaceous sputum, or a closed-space fire warrant early airway evaluation and a low threshold to intubate.
- Severe grades need aggressive bronchial hygiene (clearing eschar/pseudomembrane) and lung-protective ventilation.
References
Decision support for licensed clinicians only; not a substitute for clinical judgement, diagnosis or local protocols.