Table 1

Prognosis of a comatose patient

Primary assessment

Glasgow Coma Scale <8?

Patient is comatose

No response to environment?

At 24 hours

Clinical examination

Absent pupillary response?

Probability of a poor outcome, 97%

Absent motor response?

Probability of a poor outcome, 97%

Somatosensory evoked potentials, absent N20 signal bilaterally

Probability of a poor outcome, 100%

Serum neuron-specific enolase ≥33 μg/l

Probability of a poor outcome, 100%

At 72 hours

Clinical examination

Absent motor response?

Probability of a poor outcome, 97%

Somatosensory evoked potentials, absent N20 signal bilaterally

Probability of a poor outcome, 100%

Serum neuron-specific enolase ≥33 μg/l

Probability of a poor outcome, 100%

Electroencephalography, isoelectric or burst-suppression

Probability of a poor outcome, 100%


'Poor outcome' is defined as death or persistent coma 1 month later [5,13].

Meyer and Hall Critical Care 2006 10:223   doi:10.1186/cc4980