Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Intermediate Practice Exam

What is the first step in treating a patient with severe burns?

1. Apply topical antibiotics

2. Administer IV fluids

3. Perform a full assessment

4. Ensure airway patency

The correct answer is: Ensure airway patency

In the management of a patient with severe burns, ensuring airway patency is critically important. Exposure to heat, smoke, or toxic fumes can compromise the airway, leading to life-threatening complications such as airway swelling or obstruction. Immediate assessment of the airway is essential to determine if airway interventions are needed. Securing the airway may involve positioning the patient appropriately, suctioning any obstructions, and possibly intubation if respiratory distress is evident. If the airway is not managed first, subsequent treatment steps, including fluid resuscitation or infection prevention, could become futile if the patient cannot breathe effectively. Other measures, such as administering IV fluids, applying topical antibiotics, and performing a full assessment, are indeed important and will come next in the flow of patient care, but airway management remains the top priority to ensure that the patient can maintain adequate respirations and oxygenation.