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Correct Answer » C Explanation

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. Basically, it is used to help gauge the severity of an acute brain injury. The test is simple, reliable, and correlates well with outcome following severe brain injury.

The GCS is a reliable and objective way of recording the initial and subsequent level of consciousness in a person after a brain injury. 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 measures the following functions:

Eye Opening (E)

• 4 = spontaneous

• 3 = to voice

• 2 = to pain

• 1 = none

Verbal Response (V)

• 5 = normal conversation

• 4 = disoriented conversation

• 3 = words, but not coherent

• 2 = no words, only sounds

• 1 = none

Motor Response (M)

• 6 = normal

• 5 = localized to pain

• 4 = withdraws to pain

• 3 = decorticate posture (an abnormal posture that can include rigidity, clenched fists, legs held straight out, and arms bent inward toward the body with the wrists and fingers bend and held on the chest)

• 2 = decerebrate (an abnormal posture that can include rigidity, arms and legs held straight out, toes pointed downward, head and neck arched backwards)

• 1 = none

Clinicians use this scale to rate the best eye opening response, the best verbal response, and the best motor response an individual makes. The final GCS score or grade is the sum of these numbers.

Using the Glasgow Coma Scale

Every brain injury is different, but generally, brain injury is classified as:

• Severe: GCS 3-8 (You cannot score lower than a 3.)

• Moderate: GCS 9-12

• Mild: GCS 13-15.