During the primary assessment of a victim of a motor vehicle collision, the nurse determines that the patient is breathing and has an unobstructed airway. Which action should the nurse take next?

a. Palpate extremities for bilateral pulses.
b. Observe the patient's respiratory effort.
c. Check the patient's level of consciousness.
d. Examine the patient for any external bleeding.


ANS: B
Even with a patent airway, patients can have other problems that compromise ventilation, so the next action is to assess the patient's breathing. The other actions are also part of the initial survey but assessment of breathing should be done immediately after assessing for airway patency.

Nursing

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