Initial assessment question

[apagea99]

In my book, the steps for the initial assessment are general impression, mental assessment (hold C spine if needed), ABCs, and transpoprt priority. Those are easy enough to remember.

But, I go to the website and take the end of chapter tests and there's a true/false question regarding an unresponsive trauma pt (thrown from a vehicle). It asks if manual stabilization of the head and spine should be first priority. In my mind, at this point you've already done the general impression (the scene is explained....trauma due to being thrown from the car), and you've done AVPU (unresponsive). The book says stabilizing the spine is part of the mental assessment, so I chose "True", manual stabilization of the head and spine is next on the list as part of mental assessment. The web test says "False", checking the airway is first priority.....

What am I missing here? Am I following the book steps too mechanically when common sense says to check the airway first, or did someone screw up writing the web test vs the book?

 

[apagea99]

Never mind.....thanks emt-student for setting me straight! No airway = no patient. I'll remember that!

I feel like such a noob :blush:

 

[emt19723]

ok. yeah......guessing you got your answer. but yeah, at least in PA....suspected neck/back trauma....check the airway with a jaw thrust. if youre good....you can kill two birds with one stone.

 

[AnthonyM83]

That's why I hated NREMT questions. In class, it was assumed that certain steps (like cspine) were included when doing other steps (like airway). Not necessarily so with different test makers. They need to specifically see you're making airway your priority.

Airway comes above all else (except safety) including c-spine. We learned ABCs as "Airway w/ cspine, Breathing, Circulation". . . but if it comes down to it, you abandon cspine.

 

[mycrofft]

My initial assessment question was always:

So, what's goin' on, y'all?".
(Yeah, read into your title too much).