Abbreviated Burn Severity Index (ABSI)

Abbreviated Burn Severity Index (Tobiasen 1982): sex + age band + inhalation injury + full-thickness burn + %TBSA band; grades threat to life from 2-3 very low to >= 12 maximum.

Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.

Example

Sex
Female
Age
50 years
%TBSA burned
35 %
Inhalation injury
Yes
Full-thickness (third-degree) burn
Yes

Result: ABSI 10 — severe threat to life (10-11).

The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.

What the result means

2-5
Very low to moderate-low threat to life.
6-9
Moderate to serious.
>= 10
Severe to maximum threat to life (sex + age band + inhalation + full-thickness + %TBSA band). A severity index, not a diagnosis.

What you enter

  • Sex
  • Age
  • %TBSA burned
  • Inhalation injury
  • Full-thickness (third-degree) burn
How this is calculated

Tobiasen J, Hiebert JM, Edlich RF. The abbreviated burn severity index. Ann Emerg Med. 1982;11(5):260-262. Read the source ↗

A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.

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Built by Clay Good. Source on GitHub.