The nurse determines that the patient had a cardiac arrest while ambulating in the hall. Which method should the nurse use to position the patient properly during cardiopulmonary resuscita-tion (CPR)?

Question

a. Head tilt and right side-lying position
b. Logrolling and jaw thrust
c. Supine and head tilt
d. Jaw thrust and semi-Fowler's position

Answer 1

B
The nurse uses logrolling to position the patient onto a hard surface for chest compressions be-cause emergency care must be implemented as though the patient has an unstable spine. Logrol-ling maintains spine alignment until injury to the spine is ruled out. The nurse uses the jaw thrust to open the airway of a patient with a suspected unstable spine and determines whether the pa-tient has spontaneous respirations without hyperextending the neck. The patient collapsed in the hallway and potentially suffered head or neck trauma; thus, until the status of the spine is deter-mined, the nurse treats the patient as though the spine is unstable. Side-lying position during CPR is contraindicated because it is impossible to deliver effective chest compressions unless the patient is supine on a hard, flat surface. Supine positioning also facilitates blood flow to the brain to minimize cerebral hypoxia.