Used by emergency responders and medical professionals, the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is a quick test of a potential brain injury.
The GCS is used for a fast assessment of a head or brain injury at the scene of a car accident, sporting event, or other injury site.
Three factors—a victim’s ability to speak, to move, and to open his or her eyes—are assigned points based on a positive response.
A severe TBI might have an initial score of between 3 and 8 on this scale. A more moderate TBI would fall between 9 and 12. A score of 13-15 would be considered a mild TBI.
Coma Scale for Assessing Brain Injuries
Verbal Response:
- 5 points = alert, normal speech
- 4 = alert, but disoriented speech
- 3 = words, but incoherent speech
- 2 = sounds, but no words
- 1 = no response
Eye Opening:
- 4 points = spontaneous eye opening
- 3 = eyes open in response to voice
- 2 = eyes open in response to pain
- 1 = no response
Motor response:
- 6 points = normal physical response
- 5 = localized physical response
- 4 = withdraws to pain
- 3 = Abnormal muscle response (such as limb rigidity, clenched fists, legs straight out)
- 2 = Abnormal body response (such as arms and legs held straight out, toes pointed downward, head and neck arched backwards)
- 1 = no response
The scale works well for immediate treatment of a potential brain injury, but the long-term implications can be limited. An inaccurate score could be caused by shock, a high blood alcohol level, or other factors.
For more on the Glasgow Coma Scale, visit Brainline.org.
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici, FreeDigitalPhotos.net
