Correlation between facial trauma severity and degree of brain injury based on Glasgow Coma Scale in concomitant facial and head trauma patients

BACKGROUND: Facial fracture patients often have concomitant injuries, particularly head trauma. To grade the severity of facial injuries, the Facial Injury Severity Scale (FISS) has been widely used. The FISS score has been linked to operating time, duration of hospital stay, and treatment cost. Traumatic brain injury has been widely classified by severity and prognosis using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). The GCS allows for measuring neurological findings and has been used to predict short- and long-term outcomes following head injuries. This study evaluated the correlation between the severity of maxillofacial and head trauma based on FISS and GCS scores.METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study involving facial trauma patients at Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital, Makassar, Indonesia. The degree of brain injury was assessed using the GCS. The severity of facial fractures was classified by FISS score. Data analysis used the Spearman Correlation Test. Significance was set as P<0.05.RESULTS: Men experienced facial trauma more often than women (72.9% vs. 27.1%). The highest level of consciousness in this study was moderate (GCS: 9-12; 93.2%; N.=55), and the lowest was severe (GCS<9; 1.7%; N.=2). The highest FISS score was mild (71.2%; N.=42), and the lowest was severe (5.1%; N.=3). No significant correlation existed between facial trauma severity and degree of head injury (P>0.980).CONCLUSIONS: No correlation existed between facial trauma severity and degree of head injury. More severe facial trauma did not cause more severe brain injury.