Applicability of the abbreviated injury scale in forensic medical practice in Bulgaria

Abstract

Introduction: The present study offers a detailed analysis of the principles of the American system for trauma classification AIS (Abbreviated Injury Scale) and  tests  the possibility of  its application  in  the field of forensic-medicine in Bulgaria, where currently traumas are classified according to the experts` subjective judgments.

Materials and Methods: For the purposes of the study, expert reports have been used by 20 Bulgarian forensic doctors, written between 2009 and 2013, describing at least one temporarily life-threatening trauma. The severity of the traumas was evaluated according to AIS by the authors.

Results: The comparison between the reports and the results of AIS indicates that the scale is applicable for forensic medical purposes and in determining life-threatening conditions. At the same time, differences have been discovered between the medico-biological qualifications of the Bulgarian experts regarding the same trauma; apparently as a result of the ambiguous wording of the Bulgarian Penal Code (unchanged since 1896).

Conclusion: These differences accentuate the need for accepting a unified method of evaluating trauma severity. Taking such a step would dramatically improve the quality of Bulgarian forensic-medical reports.