In a trauma scenario where airway compromise is suspected, which action should be performed first?

• A. assess his pulse for rate, regularity, and quality.
• B. apply oxygen.
• C. open his airway and assess his breathing status.
• D. perform a head-to-toe assessment.

Answer: (C)

In a trauma scenario with possible airway compromise, the priority is to establish a patent airway and quickly assess breathing. If the airway isn’t open or the person isn’t breathing adequately, ventilation and prompt intervention are needed before anything else. Checking a pulse relates to circulation and won’t tell you if the patient is ventilating, so it doesn’t address the immediate problem of airway and breathing. A head-to-toe assessment is important, but it comes after ensuring the airway and breathing are addressed. In practice, you’d open the airway using a method that minimizes neck movement if spinal injury is suspected (jaw-thrust), then assess whether the patient is breathing and how effectively. If breathing is inadequate, provide rescue breaths or ventilation and then move on to oxygen and further assessment.