Your patient is a 16-year-old male who was ejected from an all-terrain vehicle and struck his head on a large rock.He was not wearing a helmet.He is unresponsive with shallow,irregular respirations; a blood pressure of 170/110 mmHg; and a heart rate of 50 beats per minute.Which of the following interventions would be MOST appropriate?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Based on the patient's presentation, he has a severe head injury with shallow, irregular respirations and bradycardia. The priority intervention is to secure his airway with an oropharyngeal airway and provide adequate ventilation with a bag-valve mask. The rate of ventilation should be 20 breaths per minute to avoid hyperventilation, which can worsen intracranial pressure. Giving oxygen by nonrebreather mask at 10-15 LPM is also important to maintain adequate oxygen saturation. Inserting a nasopharyngeal airway may worsen any potential spinal injury and is not recommended until cervical spine clearance has been performed.

Your Patient Is a 16-Year-Old Male Who Was Ejected from an All-Terrain