Pediatric Glasgow Coma Scale
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The Pediatric Glasgow Coma Scale (also known as Pediatric Glasgow Coma Score or simply PGCS) is the equivalent of the Glasgow Coma Scale used to assess the mental state of adult patients. As many of the assessments for an adult patient would not be appropriate for infants, the scale was modified slightly. As with the GCS, the PGCS comprises three tests: eye, verbal and motor responses. The three values separately as well as their sum are considered. The lowest possible PGCS (the sum) is 3 (deep coma or death) whilst the highest is 15 (fully awake and aware person).
Best eye response: (E)
- No eye opening
- Eye opening to pain
- Eye opening to speech
- Eyes opening spontaneously
Best verbal response: (V)
- No verbal response
- Infant moans to pain
- Infant cries to pain
- Infant is irritable and continually cries
- Infant coos or babbles (normal activity)
Best motor responses: (M)
- No motor response
- Extension to pain (decerebrate response)
- Abnormal flexion to pain for an infant (decorticate response)
- Infant withdraws from pain
- Infant withdraws from touch
- Infant moves spontaneously or purposefully
Any combined score of less than eight represents a significant risk to mortality.