An unrestrained middle-aged female was thrown from her car as it rolled in the median of an interstate. She is supine, appears unresponsive, has blood on her face, and has snoring respirations. Your first action on reaching her side should be to:

Question

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The patient's snoring respirations indicate that her airway is obstructed. The first action should be to open the airway using the jaw-thrust maneuver to prevent respiratory arrest. Any attempts to determine the Glasgow Coma Scale score or insert an oropharyngeal airway should wait until the airway is open. Finding the source of bleeding and applying direct pressure may be important, but it is not the priority in this situation.

An Unrestrained Middle-Aged Female Was Thrown from Her Car as It