RTS HELP
This app is intended to help students learn the Revised Trauma Score (RTS).
It is provided for general informational purposes only. Please read my full disclaimer and privacy policy.
The Revised Trauma Score is a scoring system used to estimate the severity of an adult's injury.
The RTS is determined by assigning numerical values of 0 - 4 to a patient's respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure, and Glasgow Coma Scale score, then summing the values. A lower score indicate a higher level of injury.
It is important to remember that RTS values start at 0 and that the highest respiratory rate does not correspond to the highest numerical value. In ascending order (0 - 4) the perimeters are:
| Respiratory Rate | |
|---|---|
| Value | Breaths per Minute |
| 0: | 0 |
| 1: | 1-5 |
| 2: | 6-9 |
| 3: | > 29 |
| 4: | 10-29 |
| Systolic Blood Pressure | |
| Value | mmHg |
| 0: | 0 |
| 1: | 1-49 |
| 2: | 50-75 |
| 3: | 76-89 |
| 4: | > 89 |
| Glasgow Coma Scale | |
| Value | GCS Score |
| 0: | 3 |
| 1: | 4-5 |
| 2: | 6-8 |
| 3: | 9-12 |
| 4: | 13-15 |
If the GCS score is less than 3 (meaning that one or more responses can not be measured) the condition value for the GCS would be 0.
Remembering the condition values corresponding to the RTS values is easier if one can memorize the extremes. For example, the lowest respiration condition value is 0, which corresponds to a RTS value of 0, and the respiratory range of 10-29 corresponds to a RTS value of 4. Remembering that any respiratory rate over 29 corresponds to a RTS value of 3 (which is somewhat counter-intuitive) leaves two values. And one of these can be remembered because the 1-5 respiratory range contain a "1", which corresponds to the RTS value of 1.
The systolic blood pressure condition values of 50-75 can be remembered by associating the "50" with 50% or half. Its RTS value of 2 is in the middle of the RTS range. (Two proceed it and two follow.)
One way to tie the GCS score to the RTS is to remember that the extreme RTS scores are 0 and 4. The numerals in 6-8 are cleanly divisible by 2, so the group's RTS value is 2; and the numerals in 9-12 are cleanly divisible by 3, so its RTS value is 3. The numerals in the remaining GCS group 4-5 are 1 unit apart, so its RTS value is 1.
Note the nomenclature difference between the Revised Trauma Score and the Glasgow Coma Scale. The Revised Trauma Score refers to both the system and the final sum; whereas, the Glasgow Coma Scale refers to the system, and the GCS's score is the final sum.
Do not be surprised if the randomness of this app results in some unlikely combinations. For example, it would be highly unusual to have a patient with respirations of 0, a SBP of 0, and a GCS of 15.
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