The Interplay of Glasgow Coma Scale, Vital Signs And Emergency Department Disposition in Road Traffic Injuries

Abstract

Background: Understanding the combined effect of vital signs, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores and collision, can strengthen the risk assessment and improve the clinical outcomes in Emergency Departments (ED). The study aimed to identify the association of GCS scores with vital signs, collision type and ED disposition among RTI patients

Methodology: This Observational cross-sectional study included 821 RTI patients. Data were recorded on demographics, vitals and injury details in a structured questionnaire. Neurological status was assessed using GCS. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR) and oxygen saturation (SPO₂) were recorded. Descriptive statistics represented as percentage or as mean+SD with 95% CI. Student's t-test and Chi-square test were used to compare two groups and ANOVA for more than two groups.

Results: GCS scores were not associated with age and gender. GCS motor scores were associated with HR and eye scores were associated with RR. GCS scores were associated with SPO₂ levels in eye, verbal and motor categories. GCS scores not associated with SBP. GCS scores were associated with collision type and ED outcome.

Conclusions: The study identifies GCS as a robust prognostic tool, indicating that neurological impairment is independent of age and gender among RTI patients and significantly associated with SPO₂, mechanism of injury and ED outcome. These findings suggest that GCS may serve as a valuable clinical indicator when integrated with physiological markers for predicting ED disposition. It will assist in guiding resource allocation and clinical management strategies for RTI patients.