The emergency department nurse receives a client with extensive injuries to the head and upper back. The nurse will perform what action to allow the best visualization of the airway?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

11ecbb05_caf8_66dd_b433_3fe9a032013a_MD0009_00 Clinical situations involving trauma should follow ABC: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation. Airway assessment is particularly critical in clients with injuries to the head, neck, and upper back. Injury to the upper back should be treated as spinal trauma until the client has been cleared by an Advanced Trauma Life Support-qualified health care provider. Until the spine is appropriately assessed, the client should be placed on a backboard and stabilized. The nurse should use the jaw-thrust maneuver to avoid movement of an unstable spine. One provider should stabilize the cervical vertebra allowing the second provider to articulate the jaw independently of the spinal column. (Option A) Although use of the backboard is appropriate, the head-tilt chin-lift should not be used as it involves manipulation of the neck without proper stabilization. If the cervical vertebrae are fractured, the spinal cord could be badly damaged. (Option B) The head-tilt chin-lift does not stabilize the alignment of the head and neck and can cause spinal cord damage. In addition, the Trendelenburg position causes the abdominal organs to shift toward the diaphragm, which increases the work of breathing. (Option C) The jaw-thrust maneuver is appropriate, but stabilization of the spine is best performed in the supine position, such as on the flat, hard surface of a backboard. Educational objective: If there is any suspicion of spinal injury, the jaw-thrust maneuver should be used for airway assessment to avoid any shifting of unstable vertebrae and subsequent spinal cord damage.

The Emergency Department Nurse Receives a Client with Extensive Injuries