Refinements in injury scaling of blunt trauma and expansion to include 
penetrating injuries have resulted in the publication of the 1985 revision of 
the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS). To simplify use of this scale for Injury 
Severity Scoring in clinical practice, two 8 1/2" x 11" charts, which can be 
included in the patient record, have been developed from the AIS dictionary. 
Separate charts apply to blunt and penetrating trauma. Previous experience with 
a condensed AIS chart (CAIS) using the 1980 revision of the dictionary suggests 
that such edited revisions can result in accurate injury scaling in more than 
95% of patients presenting to a Level I Trauma Center. The availability of such 
charts assists in calculation of the ISS soon after admission, which may prove 
to be a valuable teaching tool and useful in resource allocation, audit, and 
assessment for prospective payment.