A Glasgow Coma Scale score of 9-12 indicates which level of brain injury?

A Glasgow Coma Scale score of 9-12 indicates which level of brain injury?

• A. Mild traumatic brain injury
• B. Severe traumatic brain injury
• C. Moderate traumatic brain injury
• D. No brain injury

Answer: (C)

A Glasgow Coma Scale score combines eye opening, verbal response, and motor response to gauge level of consciousness. Scores range from 3 to 15, with higher numbers reflecting better function. A score in the 9–12 range indicates a moderate level of brain injury: the person is not in a coma, but consciousness is impaired and communication or purposeful movement is limited. They may open their eyes to speech, be confused or disoriented verbally, and show only partial or limited motor responses (for example, withdrawing from pain or localizing pain) rather than fully obeying commands. This helps distinguish it from mild injury (13–15), where cognitive function is largely intact, and severe injury (3–8), where consciousness is severely depressed or absent. In practice, a moderate score means there is brain injury that requires careful monitoring and ongoing assessment, as the condition can change. For example, a score of 11 could come from eye opening to speech (3), verbal response being confused (4), and motor response withdrawing from pain (4).

A Glasgow Coma Scale score combines eye opening, verbal response, and motor response to gauge level of consciousness. Scores range from 3 to 15, with higher numbers reflecting better function. A score in the 9–12 range indicates a moderate level of brain injury: the person is not in a coma, but consciousness is impaired and communication or purposeful movement is limited. They may open their eyes to speech, be confused or disoriented verbally, and show only partial or limited motor responses (for example, withdrawing from pain or localizing pain) rather than fully obeying commands. This helps distinguish it from mild injury (13–15), where cognitive function is largely intact, and severe injury (3–8), where consciousness is severely depressed or absent. In practice, a moderate score means there is brain injury that requires careful monitoring and ongoing assessment, as the condition can change. For example, a score of 11 could come from eye opening to speech (3), verbal response being confused (4), and motor response withdrawing from pain (4).