Monday, December 13, 2021

Emergency Priorities

 I was thinking about the ABCs (Airway - Breathing - Circulation.) The other day, our professor said that they were essentially listed as priority: 1st = airway, 2nd = breathing, 3rd = circulation.

I was just thinking about that and started with a disagreement: in CPR, circulation is priority (the body needs blood circulated more than it needs the breaths bc there is usually a couple of minutes worth of oxygen stored.) 

Then I thought about the idea that, if we identify a person who may need CPR, then we'd first check on their airway to see if there is an obstruction, which could solve the problem. If the airway isn't obstructed then I would check to see if the person is breathing. If not, then I would check for a pulse (circulation.) If none is identified, then I would start the CPR process (call for help, body position, etc.)