During the Iranian attack on Tel Aviv last night (Saturday), a direct missile strike led to the death of a woman and resulted in dozens of injured people with varying degrees of severity. According to reports from emergency services, dozens of people were transferred to receive medical treatment – some in light condition, several in moderate condition and even a few in severe condition – illustrating the dynamic and complex nature of the initial clinical assessment of casualties at urban emergency scenes.
Assessing the severity of an injury and the immediate course of treatment are crucial factors both in saving lives and in determining further treatment in the hospital.
These are the different injury severity levels and their explanations:
How is an injury graded?
Injury severity grading is a tool that enables a common language between medical teams outside the hospital and within it in order to assess the severity of an injury. This is a very dynamic situation, since a patient in light condition may deteriorate during medical evacuation, for example, and worsen, and vice versa – medical actions in the field or in the hospital can sometimes improve a clinical condition.
A person with a light injury is someone who is fully conscious with normal vital signs and whose life is not in danger. An example of a light injury is superficial trauma or injuries that have not affected vital organs.
A moderate injury includes situations in which there is no immediate danger to life, but it is a more significant injury that may include, among other things, bleeding, fractures or burns. These are usually situations that may ultimately leave some degree of damage even after treatment.
A severe injury is a condition in which the injured person is unstable in terms of vital signs and the severity of the injury has led to a life-threatening situation. For example, a head injury that led to loss of consciousness or massive bleeding that leads to a state of shock are defined as a severe injury.
A critical injury is an even more critical condition, and in addition to an immediate life-threatening situation, there is concern for survival even with optimal medical treatment in a hospital.