Glasgow Coma Scale
The Glasgow Coma Scale is a standardised system for predicting the outcome of head injuries. It is an assessment of the degree of consciousness impairment. It can be used to predict the likely duration and outcome of patients in a coma.
The assessment involves assessing eye opening, verbal response and motor response. Graphical analysis can be used to chart changes in level of consciousness, which can be crucial to predict the likely outcome.
The Scale ranges from 3 to 14. The higher the figure the less the impairment. A score of 3 is indicative of brain death and 7 is usually accepted as a coma.
Scoring is as follows:
Eyes open
- No opening
- To pain stimuli
- On request
- Spontaneously
Best verbal response
- No response
- Groans evoked by pain
- Words spoken but conversation not sustained
- Engages in conversation, confused in content
- Oriented to time, place, person
Best motor response
- No response
- Extends arm to painful stimulus
- Flexes either arm
- Localises a painful stimulus
- Obeys a command
- Further Information
- Brain Injury Guide
- Catastrophic Injury Guide
- Dental Injury Guide
- Fatal Accident Claims
- Fracture Guide
- Head Injury Guide
- Ligament Damage Guide
- Multiple Injury Guide
- Pain
- Psychiatric Injury Guide
- Soft Tissue Damage Guide
- Whiplash Guide
- Medical Abbreviations
- Medical Qualifications
- Medical Symbols
- Medical Terminology
- Rehabilitation Guide
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