Clinical assessment of coma
| General examination | |||
| Skin (for example, rash, anaemia, cyanosis, jaundice) | |||
| Temperature (fever-infection /hypothermia-drugs/circulatory failure) | |||
| Blood pressure (for example, septicaemia/Addison's disease) | |||
| Breath (for example, fetor hepaticus) | |||
| Cardiovascular (for example, arrhythmia) | |||
| Abdomen (for example, organomegaly) | |||
| Neurological (general) | |||
| Head, neck and eardrum (trauma) | |||
| Meningism (SAH/meningitis) | |||
| Fundoscopy | |||
| Level of conciousness | Brain stem function | ||
| Glasgow coma scale | Pupillary responses | ||
| Verbal response | Spontaneous eye movements | ||
| Eye opening | Oculocephalic responses | ||
| Motor response | Caloric responses | ||
| Corneal responses | |||
| Motor function | Respiratory pattern | ||
| Motor response | Cheyne Stokes: hemisphere | ||
| Deep tendon reflexes | Central neurogenic hyperventillation: | ||
| Muscle tone | rapid/midbrain | ||
| Plantars | Apneustic: Rapid with pauses/lower | ||
| pontine |
SAH, subarachnoid haemorrhage.