Glasgow Coma Scale(GCS)
GLASGOW COMA SCALE:
- The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is the standard measure used to quantify level of consciousness in head injured patients.
- Widely used in scoring systems and treatment protocols.
- Used as a initial assessment tool and for continual re-evaluation of head injured patients
- Low score in Glasgow coma scale indicates deteriorating brain function
- The GCS is scored between 3 and 15, 3 being the worst(dead), and 15 ( conscious person)the best.
GCS is composed of three parameters :
- Best Eye Response (4)
- Best Verbal Response (5)
- Best Motor Response (6)
A GCS of:
- 13 or higher correlates with a mild brain injury
- 9 to 12 is a moderate injury
- 8 or less a severe brain injury
Best Eye Response (4)
- No eye opening =>1
- Eye opening to pain =>2
- Eye opening to verbal command =>3
- Eyes open spontaneously =>4
Best Motor Response (6)
- No motor response =>1
- Extension to pain=>2
- Flexion to pain=>3
- Withdrawal from pain=>4
- Localizing pain=>5
- Obeys Commands=>6
Best Verbal Response (5)
- No verbal response =>1
- Incomprehensible sounds =>2
- Inappropriate words =>3
- Confused =>4
- Orientated =>5
- Total GCS=Motor response + Verbal response + Eye opening
Interpretation brain injury
- Severe <9
- Moderate 9-12
- Minor 13 and above
- Note that the phrase ‘GCS of 11’ is essentially meaningless, and it is important to break the figure down into its components, such as E3V3M5 = GCS 11.
- Glasgow coma scale are Less than 7 is classified as coma
- Glasgow coma scale More than 9 excludes coma
PROS:
- Reliably predicts outcomes for diffuse and focal lesions
CONS:
- It does not take into account
- Focal or lateralizing signs
- Diffuse metabolic processes
- Intoxication
Exam Question
- Eye opening , Motor response, Verbal response are used for gradation of coma in Glasgow coma scale
- Glasgow coma scale score for head injury, eye opening seen with painful stimulus, localize pain and inappropriate verbal response is 10
- Glasgow coma scale is the best prognostic factor in a case of head injury
- According to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), a verbal score of 1 indicates No response
- Glasgow Coma Scale score in a conscious person is 15
- Glasgow coma scale Ranges from 3 – 15
- Glasgow coma scale are Less than 7 is classified as coma
- Glasgow coma scale More than 9 excludes coma
- Mild head injury is having Glasgow coma scale of 10-15
- Low score in Glasgow coma scale indicates deteriorating brain function
- According to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), a verbal score of 1 indicates No response
- A person with ‘Inappropriate speech’ evaluated by the ‘Glasgow Coma Scale’ will have a verbal score of 3
- Glasgow coma scale in death is 3
Don’t Forget to Solve all the previous Year Question asked on Glasgow Coma Scale(GCS)
