OBJECTIVE Narrative review of Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) methodology. DESIGN Narrative review of published papers describing methodological aspects of the GCS, from Premedline, Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL and Ovid Nursing databases from 1950 to May 2012. RESULTS Examination of 18,851 references limited to descriptions of GCS development, pathophysiological correlations, examination techniques, co...

Methods A prospective observational study was conducted on a cohort of 50 patients with severe TBI. Only Patients with isolated severe TBI defined as Glasgow coma scale (GCS) < 8 were included in the study. APACHE II score, GCS, hemodynamic data, serum Troponin I, electrocardiogram (ECG), and echocardiographic examination, and patients’ outcome were recorded. A Cardiac Injury Score (CIS) was ca...

A 35-year-old male is found unconscious at the bottom of a staircase. His Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score is 3, and he is intubated by the paramedics for failure to protect his airway. On assessment in the emergency department (ED), the GCS score remains 3, but his examination and investigations (including a normal head computed tomographic [CT] scan) are unremarkable except for a serum ethanol ...

Intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring was carried out in 100 patients with severe acute brain trauma, primarily by means of a subarachnoid catheter. Statistical associations were evaluated between maximum ICP values and: 1) Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores; 2) findings on computed tomography (CT) scans of the head; and 3) mortality. A significant association was found between low GCS scores (3 ...

We present a case of penetrating head injuries caused by blast fragmentation, along with other serious injuries (including to the arms, face and neck), where a good recovery was made despite an Injury Severity Score (ISS) of 75. We suggest that survival and outcome are reliant on several factors and cannot be predicted from ISS, velocity of penetrating injury or presenting Glasgow Coma Scale (G...

Background: Assessing patients’ level of consciousness in intensive care units (ICUs) through Full Outline Un-Responsiveness (FOUR) scale versus the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) requires critical nurses’ (CCNs) knowledge and skills to detect deterioration consciousness. Objectives: To evaluate effect implementing training sessions on performance perception regarding FOUR compared GCS reliability ea...

Background Vital signs outside the normal range on arrival to an emergency department are related to a poor prognostic outcome. However, the knowledge of the prognostic value of vital signs measured in the ambulance is scarce. The aim of the study was to describe vital signs measured in the ambulance (saturation, systolic blood pressure, pulse, respiratory frequency and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)...

BACKGROUND Scientific guidelines recommend the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale for ischemic stroke assessment. However, many nurses find "slim" National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale versions or the Glasgow Coma Scale easier to use. OBJECTIVE To compare 3 "slim" versions of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and the Glasgow Coma Scale with the full National Institut...

We assessed the applicability of the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and the QT interval (QTc) to predicting outcomes in patients with organophosphate (OP) poisoning. In the hospital setting, QTc and GCS were monitored in each patient at admission. Patients with respiratory failure were compared to patients without these complications, and mortality was compared between groups. We found that the group...

INTRODUCTION Given the high morbidity and mortality associated with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), family members, and healthcare providers base early supportive management decisions, at least in part, on expected prognosis. In the comatose patient with ICH, this short-term prognosis is most overtly characterized by regaining of consciousness. DESIGN A retrospective consecutive cohort of 51 ...