ToolsCalculators
Paediatric Glasgow Coma Scale (pGCS)
Age-appropriate assessment of consciousness in infants and young children.
Paediatric Glasgow Coma Scale (pGCS)
Eye opening
Verbal response
Motor response
Result15 points
Mild or no impairment of consciousness. Range 3–15; a score ≤8 generally indicates the need for airway protection.
- Eye
- 4
- Verbal
- 5
- Motor
- 6
When to use
- Serial assessment of consciousness in a preverbal or young child, e.g. after head injury.
Formula
Sum of eye (1–4), verbal (1–5, paediatric wording) and motor (1–6) responses. Range 3–15.
Pearls and pitfalls
- Use the paediatric verbal descriptors for infants and preverbal children; the eye and motor components mirror the adult scale.
- Always report the component scores (E, V, M) alongside the total, as management hinges on the pattern.