GCS Calculator

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is a neurological scale designed to assess a patient's level of consciousness after a head injury. It is widely used in healthcare settings to evaluate the severity of a brain injury by scoring three aspects of a patient's response: eye, verbal, and motor responses. The total GCS score ranges from 3 to 15, with lower scores indicating more severe impairment.

Calculation Components

• Eye Response (E):

  • 4: Eyes open spontaneously
  • 3: Eyes open to speech
  • 2: Eyes open to pain
  • 1: No eye opening

• Verbal Response (V):

  • 5: Oriented
  • 4: Confused conversation
  • 3: Inappropriate words
  • 2: Incomprehensible sounds
  • 1: No verbal response

• Motor Response (M):

  • 6: Obeys commands
  • 5: Localizes pain
  • 4: Withdraws from pain
  • 3: Abnormal flexion to pain (decorticate posture)
  • 2: Abnormal extension to pain (decerebrate posture)
  • 1: No motor response

Example Calculation

If a patient has the following responses:

• Eye Response: 3 (opens eyes to speech)
• Verbal Response: 4 (confused conversation)
• Motor Response: 5 (localizes pain)

The GCS score would be:
\[ 3 + 4 + 5 = 12 \]

Clinical Relevance

• 13-15: Mild brain injury
• 9-12: Moderate brain injury
• 3-8: Severe brain injury (coma)

Understanding the GCS score helps clinicians determine the appropriate level of care and predict outcomes for patients with brain injuries.