You are on the scene of a shooting. Your assessment reveals a 23-year-old male who has been shot twice. The first wound is to the left lower quadrant of the abdomen and is actively bleeding. The second wound is to the left lateral chest and bubbles every time the patient exhales. What would your immediate and best action be?

Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) should rapidly recognize and treat chest trauma, which can be fatal if patients are not stabilized before transport. Chest trauma can be categorized into two areas: Injuries that cause significant blood loss and Injuries that compromise ventilation.  Primary assessment treatments include: Manual stabilization of the cervical spine Establishing and maintaining a patent airway Determining the patient's level of consciousness using the AVPU scale    Chest injuries can be caused by: Penetrating trauma, such as gunshots, lacerations, and punctures Blunt... Show more

Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) should rapidly recognize and treat chest trauma, which can be fatal if patients are not stabilized before transport. Chest trauma can be categorized into two areas: Injuries that cause significant blood loss and Injuries that compromise ventilation. 

Primary assessment treatments include:
Manual stabilization of the cervical spine
Establishing and maintaining a patent airway
Determining the patient's level of consciousness using the AVPU scale 
 

Chest injuries can be caused by:
Penetrating trauma, such as gunshots, lacerations, and punctures
Blunt trauma, such as motor vehicle accidents, falls, crush injury, blasts, and burns 

Signs of chest injury include:
Pain in the chest that gets worse when laughing, coughing or sneezing
Pain when breathing in
Difficulty breathing
Tenderness to the chest or back over the ribs
Bruising
Swelling
A 'crunchy' or 'crackling' feeling under the skin or in the ribs
Coughing up blood 

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