A 74-year-old female complains of abdominal pain after falling down five stairs off her front porch and striking her abdomen and left hand on a mailbox at the bottom. The patient also reports pain in her left wrist and right ankle, both of which show obvious deformity. She is alert and oriented, and her abdomen is free of bruising but tender in the left upper and lower quadrants. Her vital signs are pulse, 132 beats/min; respirations, 22 breaths/min; blood pressure, 106/86 mmHg; and initial SpO2, 93% on room air. Oxygen has been applied, and the patient has full spine motion restriction precautions in place. Advanced life support has been requested and is 12 minutes away from your current location. What is your next action?
A) Apply ice to the wrist and ankle while awaiting arrival of the ALS unit
B) Initiate immediate transport and intercept with the ALS unit
C) Monitor the patient and wait for ALS assistance
D) Secure the wrist and ankle to board splints, initiate transport, and cancel the ALS unit
B) Initiate immediate transport and intercept with the ALS unit
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A) diathermy B) ultrasound C) infrared D) hot pack
You are treating a 16-year-old skateboarder who has fallen at the skate park. She has an angulated left forearm that she has in a guarded position. When do you splint this injury?
A) During the secondary exam B) En route to the hospital C) Immediately D) During the primary exam