Final answer:
The Glasgow Coma Scale is used to assess comatose patients with scores ranging from 3 (worst) to 15 (best), and a score of 8 or less is typically indicative of a coma.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is the standard tool used to assess the level of consciousness in a patient who is comatose. The scale evaluates three aspects of a patient's responsiveness: eye-opening (E), verbal response (V), and motor response (M), with scores ranging from 3 (worst) to 15 (best). In a typical scoring for a comatose patient, a GCS score of 8 or less is generally considered to be indicative of a coma. Patients are scored based on the best responses they can provide in each category. A comatose patient will often score in the lowest ranges for all three criteria.
It should be mentioned that the information provided regarding the Apgar score pertains to newborns and is unrelated to the Glasgow Coma Scale used for comatose patients. The Apgar test assesses different criteria to determine the well-being of newborn children just after birth.