During the airway assessment part of the ABCs, what is the first action?

During the airway assessment part of the ABCs, what is the first action?

• A. Check if airway is patent
• B. Open airway with head tilt
• C. Is the patient breathing?
• D. Check radial pulse

Answer: (A)

In airway assessment, the primary step is to determine whether the airway is open and unobstructed. If air cannot pass because the airway is blocked, nothing else matters—breathing won’t be adequate and oxygen won’t reach the lungs. So the first action is to check airway patency to decide if you need to clear an obstruction or reposition the airway. If you find the airway is not patent, you immediately take steps to open or clear it (for example, using a head-tilt/chin-lift in non-injured necks, or a jaw-thrust in suspected spinal injury). If the airway is patent, you then assess breathing to see if the patient is ventilating adequately. The radial pulse check belongs to circulation and isn’t part of the airway assessment sequence.

In airway assessment, the primary step is to determine whether the airway is open and unobstructed. If air cannot pass because the airway is blocked, nothing else matters—breathing won’t be adequate and oxygen won’t reach the lungs. So the first action is to check airway patency to decide if you need to clear an obstruction or reposition the airway.

If you find the airway is not patent, you immediately take steps to open or clear it (for example, using a head-tilt/chin-lift in non-injured necks, or a jaw-thrust in suspected spinal injury). If the airway is patent, you then assess breathing to see if the patient is ventilating adequately. The radial pulse check belongs to circulation and isn’t part of the airway assessment sequence.