ABCDE Assessment

Match the following

• Disability

• B.

• Exposure

• A.

• Breathing

• C.

• Circulation

• E.

• Airway

• D.

Airway obstruction is an ​ (a)   ​. Get expert help immediately. Untreated, airway ​ (b)   causes hypoxia and risks damage to the brain, kidneys and heart, cardiac arrest, and ​ (c)   . 

• emergency.
• obstruction
• death

Reorder the following

• Look for signs of airway obstruction.

• Full exposure of the body.

• Examine the pupils (size, equality and reaction to light).

• Look, listen and feel for the general signs of respiratory distress.

• Look at the colour of the hands and digits: are they blue, pink, pale or mottled? 

In paediatric basic life support, if there are no signs of life or the patient is not breathing adequately you would?

• Call for help / activate 2222

• Give 5 rescue breaths

• Open airway.

• All of the actions.

Match the following

• 5 rescue breaths

• Paediatric basic life support

• 15 chest compressions: 2 breaths

• If no signs of life observed

  during rescue breaths,

  immediately commence

  chest compressions

• Encourage cough

• Choking?

• 30 chest compressions: 2 breaths

• First in everything you do?

• Check for danger

• Adult basic life support

Suspect choking if someone is suddenly unable to speak or talk, particularly if ​ (a)   .

Encourage the person to ​ (b)   .

If the cough becomes ineffective, give up to ​ (c)   : Lean the person forward. Apply blows between ​ (d)   using the heel of one hand.

If back blows are ineffective, give up to ​ (e)   : Stand behind the person and put both your arms around the upper part of their abdomen. Lean the person forwards. Clench your fist and place it between the umbilicus (navel) and the rib cage. Grasp your fist with the other hand and pull sharply inwards and upwards.

If choking has not been relieved after 5 abdominal thrusts, continue alternating 5 back blows with 5 abdominal thrusts until it is relieved, or the person becomes unresponsive.

If the person becomes unresponsive, start CPR.

• eating
• cough
• 5 back blows
• the shoulder blades
• 5 abdominal thrusts

Look, listen and feel for the general signs of respiratory distress:

• sweating, abdominal breathing

• central cyanosis

• use of the accessory muscles of respiration

• All of them.

Measure the capillary refill time (CRT). Apply cutaneous pressure for ​ (a)   s on a fingertip held at ​ (b)   (or just above) with enough pressure to cause blanching. Time how long it takes for the skin to return to the colour of the surrounding skin after releasing the pressure. The normal value for CRT is usually < ​ (c)   s. A prolonged CRT suggests poor ​ (d)   perfusion. Other factors (e.g. cold surroundings, poor lighting, old age) can prolong ​ (e)   . 

• 5
• heart level
• 2
• peripheral
• CRT

Hypovolemic shock

• Severe blood or other fluid loss makes the heart unable to pump enough blood to the body

• Severe and potentially life-threatening reaction to a trigger such as an allergy

• The body's extreme response to an infection.

• Something is obstructing or getting in the way of blood going into and out of heart or great vessels