What is the purpose of the CRASH prognosis model in TBI?

• A. To prescribe immediate surgery
• B. To measure long-term cognitive function
• C. To estimate mortality and poor outcome risk based on clinical and radiologic variables at presentation
• D. To classify TBI type

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is prognosis after traumatic brain injury. The CRASH prognosis model is a tool that uses information available at presentation—clinical data like age, level of consciousness, pupil reactivity, presence of other injuries, and radiologic findings on the head CT—to estimate the patient’s risk of death and of a poor outcome.

This is useful because it translates initial findings into probabilities, helping with counseling, risk stratification in research, and comparing outcomes across groups. It is not intended to dictate immediate surgical decisions, nor does it directly measure long-term cognitive function, nor does it classify what type of brain injury has occurred.