What is the Glasgow Coma Score?
Emergency personnel use this test to evaluate a patient’s state of altered consciousness immediately after trauma. The states measured range from normal to mild confusion to deep coma. Scores range from 3 to 15. Patients with scores of 3 to 8 are considered to have suffered severe injury; patients with scores of 9-12 are considered to have suffered moderate injury; and patients with scores of 13-15 are considered to have suffered mild injuries. The scale is often used as a predictor of survival. Patients with scores in the severe range often do not survive whereas almost all patients with scores in the mild range will survive. The scale is at best a gross predictor of outcome because a patient may have much different scores a minute after the trauma than five minutes or an hour later. Knowing when a score was obtained and how quickly it improved or deteriorated is yet another factor in determining outcome. The scale is of limited use in predicting which patients will be able to return
