Background: In a modern-day scenario when Blunt Abdominal Trauma (BAT) is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity, it is imperative to devise a scoring system for assessing the severity of Intra-Abdominal Injury(IAI). A scoring system would yield results comparable to computed tomography(CT)scans and would be easily applicable and affordable. Methods: Cross-sectional observational study was performed from July 2014 to May 2017 for patients who presented to Trauma triage, Kasturba Hospital Manipal(KH) with BAT. All patients were managed based on Trauma protocol. CECT abdomen and pelvis are the gold standards for diagnosis. Pertinent data based on the mode of injury, clinical examination, FAST (Focused assessment with sonography for trauma) and CECT scan findings were recorded. Variables with a substantial relationship with CT scans were included in multivariate regression models, where a coefficient (β) was assigned to the variables. The scoring system was developed based on each variable's total β. Results: 122 patients with BAT were assessed. A 7-point scoring system for BAT was devised using those variables with significant p values. Patients were divided into 2 groups:> 0.43 were high risk, and < 0.43 were low risk. In the high-risk group, immediate laparotomy should be done, and low-risk group should be kept under observation. The receiver operating characteristic curve indicated a close relationship between results of laparotomy and Novel score (sensitivity=76.9% & specificity =74. 3%). Conclusion: A novel scoring system is a bedside tool for precisely predicting the severity of IAI in BAT and reducing unnecessary CECT and expenses.
Key words: Blunt Abdominal Trauma, Intra-Abdominal Injury, FAST, CECT, Laparotomy
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