Disturbed consciousness

Question 1

What is consciousness?

Answer 1

Wakefulness with awareness of self and surroundings

Question 2

What is clouding of consciousness?

Answer 2

Reduced wakefulness or self awareness without confusion.

Question 3

What is confusion?

Answer 3

Bewilderment and misinterprets their surroundings

Question 4

What is delirium?

Answer 4

State of confusion.

Often has visual hallucinations

Question 5

What is a stupor?

Answer 5

Abnormal sleep state from which the subject cannot be raised normally but can with painful stimuli.

Question 6

What is a coma?

Answer 6

Unrousable and unresponsive

Question 7

How are comas/consciousness measured?

Answer 7

Glasgow Coma Scale

Question 8

What are the three categories of the GCS?

Answer 8

Eye opening (E)
Motor response (M)
Verbal response (V)

Question 9

What are the four levels of eye opening in GCS?

Answer 9

Spontaneous- 4
To speech- 3
To pain- 2
No response- 1

Question 10

What are the six levels of motor response in GCS?

Answer 10

Obeys- 6
Localises- 5
Withdraws- 4
Flexion- 3
Extension- 2
No response- 1

Question 11

What are the five levels of verbal response in GCS?

Answer 11

Orientation- 5 
Confused conversation- 4 
Inappropriate words- 3
Incomprehensible sounds- 2
No response- 1

Question 12

What are the three broad things that can cause a coma?

Answer 12

Diffuse brain dysfunction
Direct effect within the brainstem
Pressure effect on the brain stem

Question 13

Give some examples of Diffuse brain dysfunction.

Answer 13

Anything that depresses function- metabolic or toxic etc

Question 14

Give some examples of Direct effect within the brainstem.

Answer 14

Brain stem lesion

Question 15

Give some examples of Pressure effect on the brain stem

Answer 15

Mass lesion- tumor, bleed etc