How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement © Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
The Glasgow Coma Scale provides a score in the range 3-15; patients with scores of 3-8 are usually said to be in a coma. The total score is the sum of the scores in three categories. For adults the scores are as follows:
Eye Opening Response | Spontaneous--open with blinking at baseline | 4 points |
Opens to verbal command, speech, or shout | 3 points | |
Opens to pain, not applied to face | 2 points | |
None | 1 point | |
Verbal Response | Oriented | 5 points |
Confused conversation, but able to answer questions | 4 points | |
Inappropriate responses, words discernible | 3 points | |
Incomprehensible speech | 2 points | |
None | 1 point | |
Motor Response | Obeys commands for movement | 6 points |
Purposeful movement to painful stimulus | 5 points | |
Withdraws from pain | 4 points | |
Abnormal (spastic) flexion, decorticate posture | 3 points | |
Extensor (rigid) response, decerebrate posture | 2 points | |
None | 1 point |
For children under 5, the verbal response criteria are adjusted as follow
SCORE | 2 to 5 YRS | 0 TO 23 Mos. |
---|---|---|
5
|
Appropriate words or phrases | Smiles or coos appropriately |
4
|
Inappropriate words | Cries and consolable |
3
|
Persistent cries and/or screams | Persistent inappropriate crying &/or screaming |
2
|
Grunts | Grunts or is agitated or restless |
1
|
No response | No response |
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All material in this folder is copyright © 2000 by Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Permission is granted for personal use and for use by individual teachers in conducting their own classes. All other rights reserved. You are welcome to make links to this page, but please do not copy the contents of any page in this folder to another site. The material at this site will be updated from time to time.
July 30, 2001