You are transporting a stable patient who was involved in a minor fall from a ladder at a height of about 10 feet to a local community hospital. You assumed full spinal precautions not only because the patient has midline back pain in the sacrum, but also because he was knocked unconscious. While transporting, the patient begins to become increasingly confused, develop an irregular respiratory

rate, and experience a drop in heart rate with an increase in blood pressure. You just called in a radio report and are about 7 minutes from the hospital. A trauma center is about 10 minutes away. Which of the following is the BEST transport decision?

A) Divert to the trauma center because the patient is becoming symptomatic.
B) Continue transporting to the local hospital since it's the closest facility.
C) Call medical control for advice from the trauma center.
D) Continue transporting to the local hospital because you've already given report and they accepted the patient.

A