A young man riding a motorcycle was hit head on and ejected from the bike. Your scene size-up reveals him to be lying supine in the roadway with obvious deformity to his right thigh and left ankle, with blood noted on his pants in these areas. Patient assessment reveals he is unresponsive with snoring respirations and is breathing irregularly at 16 times per minute. His radial pulse is moderate in strength, and his skin is warm and dry. Which one of the following actions should be performed first?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The first action that should be performed is taking and maintaining manual in-line spinal stabilization to prevent any further potential injury to the spine. This should be done before any other assessment or treatment, as any movement or manipulation of the patient can cause further damage if there is a spinal injury. Once spinal stabilization is established, the airway should be opened using the head-tilt, chin-lift, and then a rapid trauma assessment should be completed to identify and treat any life-threatening injuries. Checking for distal pulses and splinting the legs may be important interventions, but they should not be done until after spinal stabilization and a full trauma assessment are completed.

A Young Man Riding a Motorcycle Was Hit Head on and Ejected