Blantyre Coma Scale
Encyclopedia
The Blantyre Coma Scale is a modification of the Pediatric Glasgow Coma Scale
, designed to assess malaria
l coma
in children.
It was designed by Drs. Terrie Taylor and Malcolm Molyneux in 1987, and named for the Malawi
an city of Blantyre
, site of the Blantyre Malaria Project.
The minimum score is 0 which indicates poor results while the maximum is 5 indicating good results. All scores under 5 are considered abnormal.
Pediatric Glasgow Coma Scale
The Paediatric Glasgow Coma Scale is the equivalent of the Glasgow Coma Scale used to assess the mental state of adult patients. As many of the assessments for an adult patient would not be appropriate for infants, the scale was modified slightly...
, designed to assess malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
l coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
in children.
It was designed by Drs. Terrie Taylor and Malcolm Molyneux in 1987, and named for the Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
an city of Blantyre
Blantyre, Malawi
Blantyre or Mandala is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, the largest city with an estimated 732,518 inhabitants . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe...
, site of the Blantyre Malaria Project.
Using the scale
The score assigned by the Blantyre Coma Scale is a number from 0 to 5. The score is determined by adding the results from three groups: Motor response, verbal response, and eye movement.The minimum score is 0 which indicates poor results while the maximum is 5 indicating good results. All scores under 5 are considered abnormal.
Best motor response
2 - Localizes painful stimulus
1 - Withdraws limb from painful stimulus
0 - No response or inappropriate response
Best verbal response
2 - Cries appropriately with pain, or, if verbal, speaks
1 - Moan or abnormal cry with pain
0 - No vocal response to pain