Your patient is a 9-month-old who was a restrained passenger in a motor vehicle collision. He was properly secured in his child safety seat at the time of the collision, but his mother has since taken him out of the seat and is holding him. Due to the significant mechanism of injury, you are going to provide spinal immobilization for the patient. You have found that you lack a cervical collar that fits him. Which of the following is the best way to immobilize this patient?
A) Secure a medium-length padded board splint to the patient's spine, using self-adherent roller gauze to secure it to his body and tape to secure it to his head. With the splint in place, the mother can hold him on her lap to comfort him on the way to the hospital.
B) Place the child back in his car seat. Pad behind his shoulders and place a folded receiving blanket around the back of his neck like a scarf, crossing the ends in front to limit the range of motion of his neck. Place towel rolls on both sides of his head and tape across the front of the car seat, securing the towel rolls and the patient's head.
C) Use the smallest cervical collar available, filling any voids between the collar and the patient with soft dressing material. Place him back in the car seat with padding behind his head. Place a towel roll on each side of his head. Use 2-inch tape across the front of the car seat to secure the towel rolls and the patient's head.
D) Place the child on a long backboard with a folded towel under his shoulders and a 1000 cc bag of saline on each side of his head. Place pillows on both sides of his body and use 2-inch tape, rather than straps, to secure the patient to the backboard.
Quick Reply
