Revised Trauma Score Calculator (RTS and triage RTS)

Understanding the Revised Trauma Score calculator — concept and principle

The Revised Trauma Score (RTS) grades the physiological severity of an injured patient from three measurements: Glasgow Coma Scale, systolic blood pressure and breathing rate. A weighted version is used to predict survival in trauma research, and an unweighted triage version is used in the field.

Weighted codes: with the default inputs the result is RTS 5.88 (triage RTS 9).

How it is calculated

Each value is coded 0–4:

GCS: 13–15 → 4, 9–12 → 3, 6–8 → 2, 4–5 → 1, 3 → 0
Systolic BP: above 89 → 4, 76–89 → 3, 50–75 → 2, 1–49 → 1, 0 → 0
Breathing rate: 10–29 → 4, above 29 → 3, 6–9 → 2, 1–5 → 1, 0 → 0

RTS = 0.9368 × GCS code + 0.7326 × BP code + 0.2908 × breathing code (0 to 7.8408)

Triage RTS = sum of the three codes (0–12)

The principle

Champion and colleagues (1989) derived the weights from survival data of major trauma patients. Brain injury, reflected by the GCS, was the strongest predictor of death, so it carries the largest weight; blood pressure reflects bleeding and shock; breathing rate adds less. Higher scores mean better physiology and better expected survival.

Worked example

Default inputs: GCS 12, systolic 84 mmHg, breathing rate 32/min.

GCS 12 → code 3; systolic 84 → code 3; rate 32 (above 29) → code 3.
RTS = 0.9368 × 3 + 0.7326 × 3 + 0.2908 × 3 = 2.8104 + 2.1978 + 0.8724 = 5.8806.
Triage RTS = 3 + 3 + 3 = 9.
5.88 is not below 4 → No.

Each point is the calculator re-run with only “Systolic blood pressure (mmHg)” changed; the gold point is the default example. Change the inputs above and this chart follows your numbers.

Systolic blood pressure (mmHg)	Revised Trauma Score (0–7.84)
21	4.4154
42	4.4154
63	5.148
84	5.8806
105	6.6132
126	6.6132
168	6.6132

How to read the result

Where does your result fall?

Lower RTS means greater physiological disturbance. An RTS below 4 has been proposed as a reason to treat a patient in a trauma centre, and many systems use a triage RTS of 11 or less to consider a trauma centre. The RTS is combined with the Injury Severity Score and age in the TRISS method to estimate survival probability.

Common mistakes

Coding a fast breathing rate (above 29) as 4; it is coded 3.
Using GCS after sedation without noting it.
Using the weighted RTS for field triage, where the unweighted sum is simpler.

Keep in mind: This is a scoring tool for trained staff, not a diagnosis or triage instruction. Follow local trauma triage protocols.

Frequently asked questions

What is a normal RTS?

The maximum is 7.8408, when all three values are in the normal range.

Why is a fast breathing rate coded 3, not 4?

Very fast breathing is a sign of distress, so it scores lower than normal breathing.

What is TRISS?

A method combining RTS, ISS, age and injury type to estimate the probability of survival.

Sources: Champion HR, Sacco WJ, Copes WS, Gann DS, Gennarelli TA, Flanagan ME, "A revision of the Trauma Score", J Trauma 1989;29(5):623–629

Checked 9 Nov 2026. Champion HR, Sacco WJ, Copes WS, Gann DS, Gennarelli TA, Flanagan ME, “A revision of the Trauma Score”, J Trauma 1989;29(5):623–629; coded values, weights and the RTS < 4 threshold as summarised in Wikipedia, “Revised Trauma Score”.

Your numbers