The Cardiovascular
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Pediatric Trauma Score (PTS)

Injury severity and triage score for injured children.

Pediatric Trauma Score (PTS)
Size / weight
Airway
Systolic blood pressure
Central nervous system
Open wound
Skeletal injury
Result12 points

Score >8 suggests minor trauma with low expected mortality.

Total (range -6 to +12)
12

When to use

  • Triaging injured children and deciding on transfer to a paediatric trauma centre.

Formula

Sum of six components (size, airway, systolic BP, CNS, open wound, skeletal injury), each scored +2, +1 or -1. Range -6 to +12.

Pearls and pitfalls

  • A score of 8 or below is the conventional threshold for referral to a designated paediatric trauma centre.

References

  1. Tepas JJ, et al. The pediatric trauma score as a predictor of injury severity in the injured child. J Pediatr Surg. 1987;22(1):14-8.