You have arrived at the scene of a shooting where a middle-aged male sustained a single gunshot wound to the abdomen. As you approach the patient, you note that he is sitting up and attempting to talk with the police officers while holding a blood-soaked towel over the left upper quadrant of his abdomen. Once you get beside the patient, you realize he is speaking in a different language that neither you nor the officers understand. Your initial action in caring for this patient is to:

Question

A) Initiate spine motion restriction precautions
B) Determine the need for airway management
C) Expose the abdomen to assess the gunshot wound
D) Obtain a pulse rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and SpO2

Answer 1

A) Initiate spine motion restriction precautions