Question

You respond to a residence for a patient with a severe leg injury following an accident with a chainsaw. When you arrive, you find the patient, a 44-year-old male, lying supine in the backyard. He has a partial amputation of his right lower leg that is actively bleeding. The patient is conscious and breathing adequately; however, he is restless and his skin is diaphoretic. What should you do?

1) Apply direct pressure to the wound.
2) Immediately evaluate his airway.
3) Administer 100
4) Assess the rate and quality of his pulse.

Answer 1

The first step in assisting a 44-year-old male with a severe leg injury from a chainsaw accident is to apply direct pressure to the wound, then ensure his airway is clear, provide oxygen if necessary, and evaluate his pulse.

Step-by-step explanation:

If you are the first responder to a scene where a patient is suffering from a severe leg injury with active bleeding due to a chainsaw accident, priority actions include: applying direct pressure to the wound to control bleeding, assessing airway patency to ensure it is not compromised, administering oxygen if available and necessary, and assessing the rate and quality of the patient's pulse.

Given the patient is conscious and breathing adequately, but diaphoretic and restless, airway evaluation would quickly follow hemorrhage control. The chaotic environment of traumatic injury requires a structured approach with the primary focus on life-saving interventions, such as hemorrhage control, before moving to detailed assessment and treatment of other injuries.