Final answer:
The lowest Glasgow Coma Scale score is 3, indicating deep unconsciousness or coma. It is a different assessment than the Apgar score for newborns, which considers five easy-to-measure traits and whose scores range from 0 to 10, with 3 or below being critically low.
Step-by-step explanation:
The lowest score on the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is 3, which indicates deep unconsciousness or coma. The GCS is not the same as the Apgar score, which is used to quickly determine the health of a newborn directly after birth. The Apgar score assesses five easy-to-measure traits, and for each trait is given a score of 0, 1, or 2. On the Glasgow Coma Scale, each response level is scored for eye-opening, verbal response, and motor response, and the scores are summed to give a total which can range from 3 to 15.
A score of 3 on the GCS is the worst possible outcome, indicating a lack of response in all three categories, while a score between 13 and 15 is considered a mild brain injury. In the Apgar test, on the other hand, a total score of 7 or higher is considered normal for a newborn, a score of 4-6 indicates that the infant may require medical assistance, and a score of 3 or lower is critically low and requires immediate medical intervention. Thus, while both scales provide immediate assessment, they are used for different purposes and patient groups.