A patient rescued from a house fire is lethargic with stridor and minimal chest movement. What is the priority intervention?

A patient rescued from a house fire is lethargic with stridor and minimal chest movement. What is the priority intervention?

• A. Administer bronchodilator inhalers
• B. Chest compressions
• C. Positive pressure ventilation
• D. Obtain blood pressure

Answer: (C)

When a patient rescued from a fire is lethargic with stridor and minimal chest movement, the immediate priority is to support breathing and oxygenation. Stridor points to upper airway narrowing from inhalation injury, and lethargy plus scant chest movement suggests impending respiratory failure. Providing positive pressure ventilation (such as with a bag-valve-mask and high-flow oxygen) delivers breaths, supports gas exchange, and helps prevent hypoxia while you assess and secure the airway. Bronchodilators might help with bronchospasm but won’t rapidly fix airway edema or poor ventilation in this scenario. Chest compressions are reserved for cardiac arrest, and checking blood pressure does not address the urgent need to ventilate. If ventilation remains inadequate, proceed toward securing a definitive airway.

When a patient rescued from a fire is lethargic with stridor and minimal chest movement, the immediate priority is to support breathing and oxygenation. Stridor points to upper airway narrowing from inhalation injury, and lethargy plus scant chest movement suggests impending respiratory failure. Providing positive pressure ventilation (such as with a bag-valve-mask and high-flow oxygen) delivers breaths, supports gas exchange, and helps prevent hypoxia while you assess and secure the airway. Bronchodilators might help with bronchospasm but won’t rapidly fix airway edema or poor ventilation in this scenario. Chest compressions are reserved for cardiac arrest, and checking blood pressure does not address the urgent need to ventilate. If ventilation remains inadequate, proceed toward securing a definitive airway.