If your loved one suffered a traumatic brain injury, their medical providers may analyze the severity of their brain injury by using a tool called the Glasgow Coma Scale. This technique measures the severity of a TBI. Here is what you need to know about this mechanism and what it means for your loved one’s prognosis.
What Does the Glasgow Coma Scale Monitor?
To help determine the severity of the TBI, the treatment team tries to elicit body movements, eye opening, and verbal responses. Medical providers then assign points for each measurement, based on the following scale:
Motor Response
- Follows commands – 6
- Localizes to pain – 5
- Withdrawal to pain – 4
- Decorticate – 3
- Decerebrate – 2
- No response – 1
Eye Opening
- Natural – 4
- To voice – 3
- To pain – 2
- No response – 1
Verbal Response
- Oriented and converses – 5
- Disoriented and converses – 4
- Inappropriate words – 3
- Incomprehensive sounds – 2
- No response – 1
What the Scores Mean
The score and the level of severity are inversely related. The higher the score, the less severe the brain injury. Scores range from 15 to 3 as follows:
- 13-15 – Mild brain injury – This type of brain injury is associated with no loss of consciousness or only a brief interval of a loss of consciousness. Victims may suffer vomiting, dizziness, lethargy, and memory loss.
- 9-12 – Moderate brain injury – This type of TBI can result in a loss of consciousness for up to 24 hours. There may be signs of brain trauma, injury on neuroimaging, contusions, or bleeding.
- 3-8 – Severe brain injury – A severe TBI can result in unconsciousness for more than 24 hours and no sleep or wake cycle during loss of consciousness. Neuroimaging tests may show signs of injury.
Brain injury severity directly corresponds to the impact the injury can have on a person.
Glasgow Outcome Scale
The Glasgow Coma Scale also contains an outcome, a one-item descriptive assessment that can help the treatment team determine appropriate next steps in the patient’s care. The possible measures include:
- Dead – This measure is used when there is no detection of brain activity and a severe injury that will cause death without recovery of consciousness.
- Vegetative – This measure describes someone with severe brain damage with a prolonged state of unresponsiveness and a lack of higher mental function.
- Severely disabled – This measure is used when a person has suffered a severe injury and will need permanent assistance to perform activities of daily living.
- Moderately disabled – This measure describes someone who does not need assistance in every day life. It may be possible for the person to work when special equipment is provided.
- Good recovery – This measure applies when a person has minor neurological or psychological deficits and only light brain damage.
Understanding the outcomes is essential to make informed treatment decisions.
Contact an Experienced Brain Injury Lawyer for Assistance
The brain injury lawyers at Caruso Law Offices, P.C. understand the Glasgow Coma Scale and its implications for recovery. Our legal team can fight for the compensation you need to help provide for the future if your injury or your loved ones was caused by someone else’s negligence.. Learn more about how we can help when you call us for a free consultation at (505) 883-5000 or contact us online.