8 or lower reflecting the most severe, 9-12 being a moderate injury and 13-15 indicating a mild TBI. Pediatric brain injuries are classified by severity using the same scoring levels as adults, i.e. 3 = abnormal flexion (decorticate response).6 = moves spontaneously or purposefully.3 = inconsistently inconsolable, moaning.4 = cries but consolable, inappropriate interactions.5 = smiles, oriented to sounds, follows objects, interacts.Here is the slightly altered grading scale for the PGCS: Eye Opening (E) The PGCS still uses the three tests - eye, verbal, and motor responses - and the three values are considered separately as well as together. The Pediatric Glasgow Coma Scale, or PGCS, a modification of the scale used on adults, is used instead. The GCS is usually not used with children, especially those too young to have reliable language skills. These factors could lead to an inaccurate score on the GCS. Limitations of the Glasgow Coma Scaleįactors like drug use, alcohol intoxication, shock, or low blood oxygen can alter a patient’s level of consciousness. Moderate and severe brain injuries often result in long-term impairments in cognition (thinking skills), physical skills, and/or emotional/behavioral functioning. Mild brain injuries can result in temporary or permanent neurological symptoms and neuroimaging tests such as CT scan or MRI may or may not show evidence of any damage. For example, a score may be expressed as GCS 12 = E2 V4 M6 at 4:32.Įvery brain injury is different, but generally, brain injury is classified as: E2V4M6) as well as added together to give a total Coma Score (e.g E2V4M6 = 12). The individual elements of a patient's GCS can be documented numerically (e.g. Individual elements, as well as the sum of the score, are important. This allows for improvement or deterioration in a patient's condition to be quickly and clearly communicated. Using the Glasgow Coma ScaleĪ patient's Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) should be documented on a coma scale chart. The final GCS score or grade is the sum of these numbers. The GCS measures the following functions:Ĭlinicians use this scale to rate the best eye opening response, the best verbal response, and the best motor response an individual makes. It is used by trained staff at the site of an injury like a car crash or sports injury, for example, and in the emergency department and intensive care units.
The GCS is a reliable and objective way of recording the initial and subsequent level of consciousness in a person after a brain injury. The test is simple, reliable, and correlates well with outcome following severe brain injury. Basically, it is used to help gauge the severity of an acute brain injury. The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is the most common scoring system used to describe the level of consciousness in a person following a traumatic brain injury.
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