How should airbags influence your approach to patient access?

How should airbags influence your approach to patient access?

• A. Ignore airbags during patient access.
• B. Deflate airbags with a hand pump.
• C. Treat airbags as potential hazards and wait for deflation or shield.
• D. Cut airbag wiring before access.

Answer: (C)

Airbags can deploy with little warning and can injure rescuers or patients if you move into their path. The safest approach is to treat airbags as hazards and plan your patient access to minimize exposure. If airbags have already deployed, you still need to proceed with caution—shield the patient and your hands from the bag area and only move forward once the bag has safely deflated or you have a protective barrier in place. If airbags have not deployed, do not try to deflate them or cut into the airbag housing; instead, establish a protective shield or barrier and approach from a direction that keeps you out of the potential line of fire while you work with the vehicle’s occupants. The key idea is to acknowledge the risk airbags pose and manage that risk with shielding or waiting for safe deflation before continuing patient access.

Airbags can deploy with little warning and can injure rescuers or patients if you move into their path. The safest approach is to treat airbags as hazards and plan your patient access to minimize exposure. If airbags have already deployed, you still need to proceed with caution—shield the patient and your hands from the bag area and only move forward once the bag has safely deflated or you have a protective barrier in place. If airbags have not deployed, do not try to deflate them or cut into the airbag housing; instead, establish a protective shield or barrier and approach from a direction that keeps you out of the potential line of fire while you work with the vehicle’s occupants. The key idea is to acknowledge the risk airbags pose and manage that risk with shielding or waiting for safe deflation before continuing patient access.