I got to speak with Michael McGonigal, MD of the Trauma Professional's Blog about severe pediatric trauma in the ED.

Pediatric Glasgow Score

Best eye response: (E)

Eyes opening spontaneously

Eye opening to speech

Eye opening to pain

No eye opening or response

Best motor responses: (M)

Infant moves spontaneously or purposefully

Infant withdraws from touch

Infant withdraws from pain

Abnormal flexion to pain for an infant (decorticate response)

Extension to pain (decerebrate response)

No motor response

Best verbal response: (V)

Smiles, oriented to sounds, follows objects, interacts.

Cries but consolable, inappropriate interactions.

Inconsistently inconsolable, moaning.

Inconsolable, agitated.

No verbal response.

Any combined score of less than eight represents a significant risk of mortality.

Articles Mentioned in the Episode

* Cerebral hemodynamic predictors of poor 6-month Glasgow Outcome Score in severe pediatric brain injury. J Neurotrauma 26(5):657-663, 2009.

* CPR for bradycardia with poor perfusion vs pulseless cardiac arrest. Pediatrics 124(6): 1541-1548, 2009.

* Osmolar therapy in pediatric  traumatic brain injury. Crit Care Med 40(1): 208-215, 2012.

The Trauma Professional's Blog

Want to read more of Dr. McGonigal's stuff; hell yeah you do. Go on over to the The Trauma Professional's Blog.

Now, on to the podcast...