Question

A 73 year old patient looks at you when you speak to her. When you ask her the date, she says "blue." You note left-sided weakness when she grips your fingers. What is her Glasgow Coma Score a. 13 b. 14 c. 12 d. 15

Answer 1

The patient's Glasgow Coma Score is 9 when considering her responses, which indicates a moderate to severe head injury. However, this score is not reflected in any of the options provided in the question, suggesting an error in the question itself.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is used to assess the level of consciousness in a patient, particularly in cases of head injury. It is based on three components: eye response, verbal response, and motor response. In this scenario, the 73-year-old patient opens her eyes when spoken to, which scores 3 on the eye response scale. She speaks but uses inappropriate words, which scores 2 on the verbal response scale. Lastly, she exhibits left-sided weakness but is able to grip fingers, thus likely scoring at least 4 on the motor response scale. Adding these together (3 + 2 + 4), her GCS would be 9, indicating a moderate to severe head injury. However, none of the presented options (a. 13, b. 14, c. 12, d. 15) match the calculated score. There may be an error in the question, as the patient's correct GCS is not listed in the options provided.