The Glasgow Coma Scale is a method of quantifying neurological dis-impairment by assigning values to eye actions, verbal responses, and motor skills. Possible values range from 15 (alert and unimpaired) to 3 (deep coma or death). A Glasgow of 4 is indicative of significant coma or neurological impairment.

severe head injury

Glasgow Coma Scale-GCS

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is a tool medical professionals use to objectively evaluate the degree to which a person is conscious or comatose. Also referred to as the "Glasgow Coma Score," it operates on a scale of "3" to "15," in which progressively higher scores indicate higher levels of consciousness. For example, while a patient who is profoundly unconscious would receive a 3 according to the Glasgow Coma Scale, conscious, healthy adults would be rated at 15. Immediately after a head trauma, emergency doctors and nurses will use the Glasgow Coma Scale to assess a patient's condition. Others who use the GCS include intensive care staff, EMTs and chronic care professionals. If a person has a brain injury resulting in a GCS of 3, it is most likely that the person has suffered some amount of brain damage. For a complete GCS chart, see: http://www.brainandspinalcord.org/recovery-traumatic-brain-injury/glasgow-coma-scale/index.html

Three is the least possible number of total points and would be given to a patient for whom not even a painful stimulus is sufficient to provoke a response.