Question

You have just arrived on scene to a call of a man down. A man is lying prone on the sidewalk outside of a bar and there are several bystanders who say they witnessed him just fall over forward. As you check his pulse and respirations you find that he is breathing shallow at about 8 per minute and his pulse is 112. What would be the proper choice of action?

A. Shake him to see if he wakes up, take his blood pressure, and put a c-collar on him

B. While maintaining c-spine precautions log roll to a supine position and open his airway

C. Do a rapid trauma assessment and then take his blood pressure

D. Ask the bystanders if he had been drinking and then log roll him onto a backboard

Answer 1

The correct response to the scenario of a man lying prone with shallow breathing is to log roll him to a supine position while maintaining spinal precautions and to open his airway, not initiating CPR unless he's unresponsive and not breathing normally.

Step-by-step explanation:

You have arrived on scene to a call of a man down, and after assessing the situation, you have a man lying prone on the sidewalk with shallow breathing and a pulse of 112. The proper course of action would be option B: While maintaining c-spine precautions, log roll to a supine position and open his airway.

Maintaining the cervical spine in a neutral alignment is crucial to prevent further injury in case of spinal damage. Opening the airway is a priority to facilitate better respiration, especially given the shallow breathing at about 8 breaths per minute, which is lower than the normal adult rate of 12 to 20 breaths per minute. Being outside of a bar, the likelihood of traumatic injury or intoxication is high, making spinal precautions necessary. Providing CPR should only be initiated if the person is unresponsive and not breathing or only gasping, as per current guidelines.