Final answer:
The GCS score for a patient with the described symptoms is 5, indicating they only open their eyes to pain, make no sounds, and show decerebrate posturing. This score suggests a severe brain injury and the necessity for immediate intervention.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score for a patient who only opens his eyes to pain, makes no sounds, and stiffens and extends his extremities would be 5.
For eye opening to pain, the score is 2. No verbal response is 1, and decerebrate posturing, which is described as stiffening and extending of extremities, is scored with a 2 in motor response.
The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is a clinical tool used to assess and calculate a patient's level of consciousness after a head injury. The GCS consists of three components: eye, verbal, and motor responses. Each component has a set of response categories that are scored individually and then summed to produce the total GCS score, which ranges from 3 to 15.
In this scenario:
- Eye response to pain is scored a 2 (since the eyes do not open spontaneously or to verbal command).
- Verbal response is scored a 1 because the patient does not make any sounds.
- Motor response is scored a 2 because the patient shows decerebrate posturing, indicative of brainstem damage.
The total GCS would be the sum of these scores, giving the patient a GCS of 5. A score of 5 is indicative of a severe brain injury and requires immediate medical attention.