A female patient in her forties has overdosed and is lying at the bottom of some stairs. Her husband reluctantly informs you that she is addicted to pain medications and was chewing a fentanyl (narcotic pain reliever) patch this evening. She was having difficulty standing up and fell down the stairs. The husband is so frustrated with her that he immediately leaves the scene. The patient has snoring respiration and is incontinent of urine. You first step in caring for this patient would be to:

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Toxicological emergencies are caused by substances that impair health or cause death by entering the body or touching the skin. These emergencies include: intentional overdose, unintentional poisoning, occupational exposure, environmental hazards, envenomation, biologic and chemical warfare, and radiation illness.  Toxicological emergencies are often complex and require a deep understanding of pharmacology. For example, carbon monoxide poisoning can cause mild to severe symptoms, including headache, nausea, dizziness, confusion, seizure, and coma. Other important findings in poisoning may... Show more

A female patient in her forties has overdosed and is lying at the bottom of some stairs. Her husband reluctantly informs you that she is addicted to pain medications and was chewing a fentanyl (narcotic pain reliever) patch this evening. She was having difficulty standing up and fell down the stairs. The husband is so frustrated with her that he immediately leaves the scene. The patient has snoring respiration and is incontinent of urine. You first step in caring for this patient would be to: