Foot and ankle severity scale (FASS)

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Trauma Research
• Injury Prevention

Background:

• Vehicle safety advancements like airbags and seatbelts have reduced fatalities but increased severe foot and ankle trauma cases.
• Existing injury severity scales, such as the Abbreviated Injury Scale, are not sufficiently sensitive for detailed foot and ankle trauma assessment.
• There is a need for a specialized injury severity scale for foot and ankle trauma in vehicular incidents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a comprehensive injury severity scale specifically for foot and ankle trauma resulting from vehicular crashes.
• To create a corresponding scale to estimate long-term impairment associated with these injuries.
• To provide a guideline for ranking the importance and impairment of vehicular crash-related foot and ankle injuries.

Main Methods:

• The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Trauma Committee developed a ranked list of 91 common foot and ankle injuries from vehicular crashes.
• Injuries were ranked based on severity, resulting in the Foot and Ankle Severity Score (FASS-S).
• Long-term impairment was estimated for each injury, creating the Foot and Ankle Impairment Score (FASS-I).

Main Results:

• A ranked list of 91 foot and ankle injuries commonly sustained in vehicular crashes was established.
• The Foot and Ankle Severity Score (FASS-S) provides a severity ranking for these injuries.
• The Foot and Ankle Impairment Score (FASS-I) estimates the long-term functional consequences of each injury.

Conclusions:

• The newly developed FASS-S and FASS-I scales offer a more nuanced assessment of foot and ankle trauma from vehicular accidents.
• These scales are intended to guide the ranking of injury importance and impairment, aiding in injury prevention efforts.
• The scales are expected to evolve with further validity testing and research.