A Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8 typically indicates which of the following?

• A. Mild confusion
• B. Severe disturbance of consciousness; airway protection and likely intubation
• C. Awake and oriented
• D. Localized pain

Answer: (B)

Understanding the Glasgow Coma Scale and what a score around eight means is the focus here. The GCS adds three areas—eye opening, verbal response, and motor response—to give a total score from 3 to 15. A score of eight or less signals severe impairment of consciousness, typically described as coma. In this range, the person often cannot protect their airway, so securing the airway with intubation is likely needed to prevent aspiration and ensure ventilation.

So, a score of eight reflects significant brain dysfunction and a high risk to breathing safety, which is why airway protection and probable intubation are the expected actions. This is in contrast to higher scores such as a fully awake and oriented person (score around 15) or milder confusion (scores well above eight). Localized pain refers to a motor response component alone and doesn’t describe overall consciousness, so it wouldn’t equate to a score of eight by itself.