Glasgow Coma Scale

(noun)

(GCS) A neurological scale that aims to give a reliable, objective way of recording the conscious state of a person for initial as well as subsequent assessment.

Examples of Glasgow Coma Scale in the following topics:

  • Traumatic Brain Injury

    • The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), the most commonly used system for classifying TBI severity, grades a person's level of consciousness on a scale of 3–15 based on verbal, motor, and eye-opening reactions to stimuli.
    • TBI can cause prolonged or permanent effects on consciousness, such as coma, brain death, persistent vegetative state (in which patients are unable to achieve a state of alertness to interact with their surroundings), and minimally conscious state.

  • Assessing CNS Disorders

    • Muscle strength, often graded on the MRC scale 0 to 5 (i.e. 0 = Complete Paralysis to 5 = Normal Power).

  • Disorders of Acid-Base Balance

    • Neurological complications include lethargy, stupor, coma, seizures.