STUDY OF CORRELATION OF GLASGOW COMA SCORE AND BISPECTRAL INDEX IN MILD AND MODERATE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES

It is important to monitor the state of consciousness in patients suffering from
traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in order to determine the modes of care, treatment and prognosis.
Currently, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), which has been criticized for inefficiency, is the most
common tool for measurement of level of consciousness. Therefore, the present study was conducted
to investigate the correlation between GCS and BIS in mild and moderate brain injuries.
Materials & Methods: This descriptive-correlational study included forty-seven patients with mild
and moderate TBI being admitted to neurosurgical and general ICU. GCS and BIS were measured
every 60 and 15 minutes, respectively, for 6 hours. A Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to
determine whether the GCS correlated with BIS scores.
Result: Forty men and seven women participated in this study. The most common cause of TBI was
road traffic injuries (83%) and the most common consequence was diffuse axonal injury (DAI). A
significant correlation was found between GCS and BIS (r=0.36, p=0.014). Regression line equation
for two variables was also plotted.
Conclusion: Despite the significant correlation between GCS and BIS scores, the quantities of
coefficient of correlation and coefficient of determination were low. Moreover, variability among BIS
scores according to each specified value of GCS makes the use of this score difficult for monitoring
the level of consciousness in TBI