Article Text

Download PDFPDF
The prehospital simplified motor score is as accurate as the prehospital Glasgow coma scale: analysis of a statewide trauma registry
  1. Jeffrey M Caterino1,2,
  2. Amy Raubenolt3
  1. 1Department of Emergency Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
  2. 2Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
  3. 3Department of Emergency Medicine, Michigan State University Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
  1. Correspondence to Jeffrey M Caterino, 146 Means Hall, 1654 Upham Dr, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; jeffrey.caterino{at}osumc.edu

Abstract

Objectives The simplified motor score (SMS) is a three-point measure of traumatic brain injury (TBI) severity, which is easier to calculate than the 15-point Glasgow coma scale (GCS). Using a state trauma registry, the accuracy of the emergency medical services (EMS)-obtained SMS was compared with the GCS for predicting neurological outcomes and mortality.

Methods A retrospective, observational analysis was performed of patients aged 16 years and older in the 2002–7 Ohio Trauma Registry. Those not initially transported by EMS or with incomplete EMS GCS scores were excluded. Outcomes included inhospital mortality, TBI, neurosurgical intervention, any emergency intubation and emergency department intubation. Discriminatory ability was compared using area under the receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUC). Sensitivity and specificity for each outcome were calculated at a SMS cutoff of one or less (any abnormal SMS) and a GCS cutoff of 13 or less.

Results 52 412 patients were identified. Sensitivity, specificity and AUC were similar between the SMS and GCS for all outcomes. Sensitivity for mortality was 72.2% for SMS and 74.6% for GCS. Sensitivity for TBI was 40.8% for SMS and 45.4% for GCS. Sensitivity for neurosurgical intervention was 52.9% for SMS and 60.0% for GCS. Sensitivity for any intubation was 72.7% for SMS and 75.5% for GCS. Specificity was less than 2% different for all outcomes. Discriminatory ability was similar with the difference in AUC between SMS and GCS no greater than 6% for any outcome.

Conclusions In a state trauma registry including both trauma and non-trauma centres, the EMS-obtained SMS performs as well as the 15-point GCS.

  • Assessment
  • emergencies
  • emergency ambulance systems
  • Glasgow coma scale
  • head
  • trauma
  • triage
  • wounds

Statistics from Altmetric.com

Request Permissions

If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.

Footnotes

  • Funding This study was supported by a Trauma Grant from the Ohio Department of Public Safety. The sponsoring agency had no role in or control over the design, methods, subject recruitment, data collection, analysis, or paper preparation.

  • Competing interests None to declare.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.