💥 How Bad Is a Broken Face?
New Study from Malang Uses FISS to Grade Maxillofacial Trauma
When it comes to facial trauma, not all injuries are created equal. From minor fractures to life-altering disfigurements, clinicians need a way to objectively assess how severe a facial injury really is.
Maxillofacial trauma is more than skin deep, it can disrupt essential functions such as breathing, chewing, and speaking, and leave long-term physical and psychological impacts. But how severe are these injuries, and how can clinicians objectively assess and prioritize treatment?
A recent study conducted at RSUD Kanjuruhan, Malang, takes on this challenge using the Facial Injury Severity Scale (FISS) a tool that scores maxillofacial injuries based on location and complexity. The results? Surprisingly reassuring.
🔍 Key Highlights
- Most cases were mild, with the average FISS score of 3.37
- 24.7% of patients scored just 2 points on the scale
- Participants ranged from toddlers to seniors (age 2 to 76)
- Most injuries were related to traffic accidents, with helmet use as a key variable
🔍 Why Is This Study Important?
✅ Objective Grading: The FISS scoring system provides a standardized way to grade injury severity allowing surgeons, emergency physicians, and even trauma registries to speak a common language.
✅ Real-World Data: Unlike theoretical reviews, this study is grounded in real cases over a two-year period from an Indonesian regional hospital, adding critical local insights to the global body of trauma research.
✅ Call for Expansion: The authors advocate for larger-scale studies and broader databases to validate FISS as a prognostic and triaging tool, especially in resource-limited settings.
🚑 The study, conducted between January 2022 – December 2023, suggests that while facial trauma is a serious concern, many cases in this setting were not severe. However, it also notes the need for larger studies to validate the FISS as a reliable prognostic tool.
📖 Read the full study here:
ASSESSMENT OF MAXILLOFACIAL TRAUMA IN KANJURUHAN GENERAL HOSPITAL MALANG USING FACIAL INJURY SEVERITY SCALE (FISS) SCORING SYSTEM
👉 DOI: 10.20473/jre.v10i1.70277
✍️ Kunthi Kencana Makayasa Putri, Deddy Setyo Nugroho
Published in Jurnal Rekonstruksi dan Estetik
This study is a step toward standardized trauma assessment vital in emergency settings where seconds count and faces matter
