Question

1. which of the following patients should not have their airway opened using a head - tilt, chin - lift maneuver?

a) a 35 - year - old diabetic woman in the driver’s seat of the car in her driveway who becomes unresponsive while speaking to her husband.
b) a 25 - year - old man who is still unresponsive after a grand mal seizure.
c) a homeless person of undetermined age found lying unresponsive in an alley with no bystanders.
d) a 50 - year - old woman who choked on a piece of food while dining in a restaurant and was lowered to the floor by a waiter.

Explanation:

The head-tilt, chin-lift maneuver is contraindicated for patients with suspected cervical spine injury, as it can worsen spinal damage. A patient found unresponsive in an alley with no witnesses has an unknown mechanism of injury, so spinal trauma must be assumed, making this maneuver unsafe. The other patients have clear, non-spinal causes of unresponsiveness (diabetic emergency, post-seizure, choking) where the maneuver is appropriate.

Answer:

C) A homeless person of undetermined age found lying unresponsive in an alley with no bystanders.