ABCs

Question 1

ABCs stand for

Answer 1

Airway: if the air way is compromised — this is always first when answering question
breathing: oxygen problem = immediate priority
Circulation

Question 2

A - Airway
Ask :is th airway open

Answer 2

-Obstruction
choking
stridor(high pitch, hash or noisy sounds)
tongue blocking
vomiting secretion
if the air way is compromised — this is always first when answering question

Question 3

B - Breathing
Ask: is the patient breathing well?

Answer 3

respiratory rate too high or too low
low SpO2
shortness of breath
use of accessory muscle
cyanosis
oxygen problem = immediate priority

Question 4

C - Circulation
Ask: is the blood circulating adequately?

Answer 4

bleeding
hypotension
shock
chest pain
poor perfusion

Question 5

if A is a problem,

Answer 5

ignore B and c

Question 6

if B is the problem

Answer 6

ignore C

Question 7

Example of ABCs
A patient has :
SpO2 88%
BP 150/90
Pain 7/10

Answer 7

Breathing (B) comes before pain and blood pressure

Question 8

Easy memory trick

Answer 8

You will need air way to breathe, and you need breathing to circulate

Question 9

when two answer choices Both sound correct and both contains priority words,

Answer 9

use fixed order of rules to break the tie and pick the best one

Question 10

when two answer compete, select

Answer 10

the one that saves life first, fastest, and with least delay

Question 11

in select all that apply question
choose answers that

Answer 11

Address airway, breathing, circulation
✔ Prevent immediate harm
✔ Use action verbs (apply, position, initiate

Question 12

in select all that apply question, do not chose

Answer 12

Teaching

Documentation

Long-term prevention

Non-urgent comfort measures

Question 13

when no ABCs are present look for safety and risk word like:
ASK: which answer prevents the patient from being harmed right now.)

Answer 13

fall risk
Seizure precautions
Aspiration risk
infection control
Bleeding precaution
restraint safety

( prevent harm beats comfort or teaching)

Question 14

Acute vs chronic
ASK: which problem is new or unstable?

Answer 14

Acute / sudden/ new onset beats chronic/ expected

Question 15

Maslow (physiological needs first)
physiological > safety > psychosocial
watch out for words like

Answer 15

pain
nutrition
elimination
sleep
fluid balance

Question 16

Assess vs Implement

Answer 16

Assess first if you don’t know the problem
implement first if the problem is clear

Question 17

teaching/ psychosocial (last) words

Answer 17

education
coping
emotional