bps_intubated_pain: Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS) for Intubated Patients

In cliot: Clinical Indices and Outcomes Tools

Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS) for Intubated Patients

Description

Calculates the Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS) score to assess pain in unconscious, sedated, and intubated patients. The scale evaluates three behavioral domains: Facial Expression, Upper Limb Movements, and Compliance with Mechanical Ventilation.

Usage

bps_intubated_pain(facial_expression, upper_limb_movements, compliance_ventilation)

Arguments

facial_expression	Numeric (1-4). 1: Relaxed. 2: Partially tightened (e.g., brow lowering). 3: Fully tightened (e.g., eyelid closing). 4: Grimacing.
upper_limb_movements	Numeric (1-4). 1: No movement. 2: Partially bent. 3: Fully bent with finger flexion. 4: Permanently retracted.
compliance_ventilation	Numeric (1-4). 1: Tolerating movement. 2: Coughing but tolerating ventilation most of the time. 3: Fighting ventilator. 4: Unable to control ventilation.

Value

A list containing:

BPS_Score	The sum of the three domain scores (Range 3-12).
Interpretation	Clinical guidance. A score > 5 generally indicates significant pain requiring intervention.

References

Payen JF, Bru O, Bosson JL, et al. Assessing pain in critically ill sedated patients by using a behavioral pain scale. Crit Care Med. 2001;29(12):2258-2263. doi:10.1097/00003246-200112000-00004

Examples

# Example 1: Significant Pain
# Grimacing (4), Fully bent arms (3), Fighting vent (3)
# Score = 10
bps_intubated_pain(4, 3, 3)

# Example 2: No Pain
# Relaxed (1), No movement (1), Tolerating vent (1)
# Score = 3
bps_intubated_pain(1, 1, 1)

cliot documentation built on Dec. 1, 2025, 1:06 a.m.