HEAD AND NECK INJURIES - Medicine for Mountaineering and Other Wilderness Activities - page 102

Table 8-1 Assessment of Level of Consciousness After Head Injur

GLASGOW COMA SCALE (GCS)
CLINICAL PARAMETER

POINTS

Eye Opening (E)
Spontaneous 4

To speech 3

To pain 2

Does not open eyes 1

Best Motor Response (M)
Obeys commands 6

Localizes pain 5

Pulls away from pain 4

Uncoordinated bending of extremities 3

Uncoordinated stretching of extremities 2

No motor response 1

Verbal Response (V)
Fully oriented 5

Disoriented/confused 4

Inappropriate words 3

Incomprehensible words 2

No verbal response 1

GCS Score = Sum of E + M + V
Severity of Head Injury
14-15 points Mild

9-13 points Moderate

3-8 points Severe

AVPU METHOD
A lert and fully oriented A

Responds to V erbal stimuli V

Responds to P ainful stimuli P

U nresponsive U

Withaskullfracture,thetypicalsignsofafractureinanyotherbone—pain,tenderness,
swelling, and discoloration—are often masked (or mimicked) by contusions or lacerations