Question

You are at the scene of a patient with a significant mechanism of injury. After you complete your primary assessment, you find that the patient responds to painful stimuli with decorticate posturing. You also note blood in the hypopharynx, unequal chest wall motion, and a penetration injury to the leg with moderate bleeding. According to these findings, what would be your transport decision?

1) No priority
2) Medium priority
3) Low priority
4) High priority

Answer 1

The transport decision would be High priority due to the severity of the patient's condition and multiple life-threatening injuries.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this scenario, the transport decision would be High priority due to the severity of the patient's condition and the presence of multiple life-threatening injuries.

The patient's response to painful stimuli with decorticate posturing indicates severe brain injury. The presence of blood in the hypopharynx suggests potential airway compromise, while unequal chest wall motion indicates possible lung injury or pneumothorax.

In addition, the penetration injury to the leg with moderate bleeding requires immediate attention to control bleeding and prevent further complications.