Question

You are caring for a 10-year old who has fallen 12 feet. He has angulated injuries to both legs and is unresponsive. He is breathing adequately, and you find no bleeding. You should:

A. hold manual stabilization of his head and neck
B. straighten the angulated legs
C.check distal CSM in both legs
D. place him on a long board

Answer 1

For an unresponsive 10-year old who has sustained a fall with angulated leg injuries, the primary action should be to hold manual stabilization of the head and neck to prevent any potential spinal cord injury. Straightening the legs or attempting to move the patient onto a long board should be left to trained professionals. Checking distal CSM is important but secondary to spinal stabilization.

Step-by-step explanation:

The care for a 10-year old who has fallen and sustained injuries must be approached with caution. Considering the patient is unresponsive but is breathing adequately without any signs of external bleeding, the immediate concern should be to maintain spinal stabilization. In this scenario, holding manual stabilization of the head and neck (option A) is paramount to prevent any potential spinal cord injury.

It is not advised to straighten angulated legs (option B) as this action could exacerbate any underlying fractures or injuries. In addition, without knowing the full extent of the child's injuries or being a trained medical professional, attempting to realign limbs could be harmful.

Checking for distal Circulation, Sensation, and Movement (CSM) in both legs (option C) is important but should be done after ensuring spinal stabilization, and not before. Lastly, placing the child on a long board may be part of the protocol for trained emergency personnel, but if you're not trained or if equipment is not immediately available, focus on stabilizing the head and neck and wait for emergency services to perform this action.