Comparison of the Full Outline of Unresponsiveness Score with the Glasgow Coma Scale as a Coma Assessment Scale in Pediatric Intensive Care

Abstract

Rapid assessment of cerebral dysfunction is crucial for the management of patients in intensive care units. The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) evaluates eye, verbal, and motor responses, but is insufficient to effectively evaluate patients on mechanical ventilation, or who are unable to speak. The Full Outline of Unresponsiveness (FOUR) score includes additional information such as brainstem reflexes and respiratory status to provide a more complete clinical assessment. In this study, we aimed to compare the FOUR score with GCS in the assessment of patients with coma. This prospective study included patients between 1 month and under 18 years of age, who were hospitalized in the pediatric intensive care unit due to risk of coma or ongoing impairment of consciousness between May 2018 and June 2019. Information regarding FOUR scores, GCS values, patient demographics, duration of hospitalization, requirement for mechanical ventilation, and patient comorbidities were recorded and analyzed. Among the 80 patients included in the study, a statistically significant correlation was found between (low) GCS and FOUR scores during admission, and mortality and requirement for mechanical ventilation. Monitoring the level of consciousness is important in pediatric intensive care units and may be predictive of the course and disease outcome. Similar to the GCS, the FOUR score is a good indicator for predicting mortality and requirement for mechanical ventilation.

Evaluation of pediatric trauma score and pediatric ageadjusted shock index in pediatric patients admitted to the hospital after an earthquake

“…This assessment involves evaluating eye opening, verbal, and motor responses (Table 1). [6,7] Evaluation and scoring for PTS include assessing the patient's airway patency, state of consciousness, body weight, systolic blood pressure, the presence of an open wound, and a preliminary evaluation of any skeletal system trauma. The total score ranges from -6 to +12, with scores below 8 indicating potential significant trauma and the need for follow-up in a trauma center.…”