The Paediatric Glasgow Coma Scale (BrE) (also known as Pediatric Glasgow Coma Score (AmE) or simply PGCS) is the equivalent of the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) used to assess the mental state of adult patients. As many of the assessments for an adult patient would not be appropriate for infants, the scale was modified slightly. As with the GCS, the PGCS comprises three tests: eye, verbal and motor responses. The three values separately as well as their sum are considered. The lowest possible PGCS (the sum) is 3 (deep coma or death) whilst the highest is 15 (fully awake and aware person).
Contents |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eyes | Does not open eyes | Opens eyes in response to painful stimuli | Opens eyes in response to speech | Opens eyes spontaneously | N/A | N/A |
Verbal | No verbal response | Inconsolable, agitated | Inconsistently inconsolable, moaning | Cries but consolable, inappropriate interactions | Smiles, orients to sounds, follows objects, interacts | N/A |
Motor | No motor response | Extension to pain (decerebrate response) | Abnormal flexion to pain for an infant (decorticate response) | Infant withdraws from pain | Infant withdraws from touch | Infant moves spontaneously or purposefully |
Any combined score of less than eight represents a significant risk of mortality.