It took the E.M.T. about 45 seconds to do the primary assessment (airway, breathing, circulation, disability and wound exposure) and then, as he started on a secondary assessment, I stopped him.
First step is the ABCDE (airway, breathing, circulation, disability, and exposure/environment control) assessment, according to the advanced trauma life support (ATLS) guidelines [9] and includes a haemodynamic stability evaluation.
A primary survey dance was created to reinforce the steps of primary survey (assessing for danger, the casualty's responsiveness, airway, breathing, circulation, disability check, and exposure) in a rhythmic series of motions accompanied by chants.
ABCDE: Airway Breathing Circulation Disability Exposure and Environment; ACSCOT American College of Surgeons Committee on TraumaATLSTLS: Advanced Trauma Life Support ED Emergency Department MMT Mobile Medical TeamTeam; NGT: Nominal Group Technique.
Incidents were predefined and categorised as airway, breathing, circulation, disability, exposure and other.
On scene, the prehospital team should undertake all actions to get the patient stabilised according to the ABCDE approach (stands for Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure and Environment).
In addition to various skills, the priority-based structure, ABCDE (Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability and Exposure), is taught and practiced in scenario-based training sessions.
In acute care, popular assessment structures (such as ABCDE: airway, breathing, circulation, disability, exposure) and standardised protocols can make prioritisation of tasks easier.
However, based on principles which would be applied to the care of any acutely ill child (ABCD, airway, breathing, circulation, disability) including the maintenance of adequate oxygenation (non-invasively estimated by pulse oximetry), cardiac output, systemic and cerebral perfusion pressure, and tight control of blood glucose and body temperature should be the aim.
Airway, breathing, circulation and disability.
