JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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To develop and validate a simple prognostic scoring system to identify patients in nontraumatic coma at high risk for poor outcomes using data available early in the hospital course. ⋯ Five readily available clinical variables identify a large subgroup of patients in nontraumatic coma at high risk for poor outcomes. This risk stratification approach offers physicians, patients, and patients' families information that may prove useful in patient care decisions and resource allocation.