During rapid extrication, patient care should include which actions?

• A. Move to vehicle without care
• B. Maintain C-spine stabilization, treat life threats, and remove safely
• C. Remove quickly without care
• D. Only CPR

Answer: (B)

During rapid extrication, the priority is to protect the spine while quickly and safely removing the patient and addressing immediate life threats. Maintaining C-spine stabilization prevents further injury to the cervical spine as any movement is made. At the same time, you must identify and manage life threats—airway and breathing, circulation, and severe bleeding—so the patient remains viable. The removal should be performed with immobilization devices and techniques that keep the patient in alignment, minimizing movement during transfer into the ambulance. This approach integrates spinal protection with essential resuscitation, then moves the patient to definitive care promptly. The other options fail because they either neglect spinal protection, rush extraction without care that could worsen injury, or focus only on one aspect (like CPR) while ignoring airway, breathing, or circulation.