An estimated 50,000 people die each year from traumatic brain injuries in the United States. Age groups at risk include adolescents, young adults and elderly people over 75. The Glasgow Outcome Scale, or GOS, is a powerful tool that could assess the long-term outcome for patients with severe traumatic brain injury during that critical first year following the injury. This scale allows examiners to quantify the ability of the recovering patient to perform daily activities, such as walking, eating and dressing. The scale also allows them to assess how much assistance a patient requires to perform these tasks.
Examiners assign a number value according to how many tasks a patient can perform.
Sixty-eight of the 159 patients required an emergency surgical procedure within six hours of admission to the university hospital. Changes indicated in the second evaluation generally reflected higher levels of functioning. Higher GOS scores meant greater degrees of independence in their daily life activities. The value of this study is in its powerful predictive nature. This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice.