About GCS
The assessment of Glasgow Coma Scale is of paramount importance in managing patients with Neurosurgical pathology. Note is not an assessment of pure neurological function but rather as a global assessment of consciousness.
Breakdown of GCS
GCS can be broken down into three elements:
Eye Movements:
- Opens eyes spontaneously
- Opens eyes to voice
- Opens eyes to pain (Test via applying pressure over the supra-orbital notch)
- None
Verbal:
- Orientated
- Confused
- Inappropriate Words
- Incomprehensible Sounds
- None
Motor:
- Obeys Commands
- Localises
- Withdraws
- Flexes (decorticate posturing)
- Extends (decerebrate posturing)
- None
Importance of GCS
- Identifying the trend
- Not all patients with a drop in their GCS is intra-cranial!
- See assessment of consciousness lecture