You Have Arrived on a Shooting Where a Middle-Aged Male

Multiple Choice

You have arrived on a shooting where a middle-aged male has suffered a single gunshot wound to the abdomen. As you approach the patient, you note that he is sitting up and talking with the police officer holding a blood-soaked towel over the left upper quadrant of his abdomen. Your initial action in caring for this patient is to:

A) take manual in-line spinal stabilization.
B) determine the need for airway management.
C) expose the abdomen to assess the gunshot wound.
D) obtain a pulse rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and SpO₂.