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Eye Opening
Score	Age 1 Year or Older		Age 0-1 Year
4	Spontaneously		Spontaneously
3	To verbal command		To shout
2	To pain		To pain
1	No response		No response
Best Motor Response
Score	Age 1 Year or Older		Age 0-1 Year
6	Obeys command		�
5	Localizes pain		Localizes pain
4	Flexion withdrawal		Flexion withdrawal
3	Flexion abnormal (decorticate)		Flexion abnormal (decorticate)
2	Extension (decerebrate)		Extension (decerebrate)
1	No response		No response
Best Verbal Response
Score	Age >5 Years	Age 2-5 Years	Age 0-2 Years
5	Oriented and converses	Appropriate words	Cries appropriately
4	Disoriented and converses	Inappropriate words	Cries
3	Inappropriate words; cries	Screams	Inappropriate crying/screaming
2	Incomprehensible sounds	Grunts	Grunts
1	No response	No response	No response

Pediatric Glasgow Coma Scale

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is used to describe the general level of consciousness in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to define broad categories of head injury. The GCS is divided into 3 categories, eye opening (E), motor response (M), and verbal response (V). The score is determined by the sum of the score in each of the 3 categories, with a maximum score of 15 and a minimum score of 3, as follows:

GCS score = E + M + V

E : Eye opening
M : Motor response
V : Verbal response

Interpretation

Patients who are intubated are unable to speak, and their verbal score cannot be assessed. They are evaluated only based on eye opening and motor scores, and the suffix T is added to their score to indicate intubation. In intubated patients, the maximum GCS score is 10T and the minimum score is 2T. The GCS is often used to help define the severity of TBI. Mild head injuries are generally defined as those associated with a GCS score of 13-15, and moderate head injuries are those associated with a GCS score of 9-12. A GCS score of 8 or less defines a severe head injury. These definitions are not rigid and should be considered as a general guide to the level of injury.

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