11.3 Airway, Breathing, Circulation, and Medical Emergencies
Key Takeaways
- Airway choices depend on consciousness, ability to maintain the airway, and suspected head or spine injury.
- Breathing emergencies in BPOC include penetrating chest injuries, anaphylaxis, asthma, opioid overdose, and rescue breathing within training.
- Circulation emergencies include heart attack, shock, and CPR/AED competency for adults, children, and infants.
- Diabetic emergencies, seizure, stroke, burns, heat, cold, fractures, and childbirth are testable as recognition and referral patterns.
Recognition, Basic Intervention, and Referral
BPOC 40.7 teaches airway management by matching the method to the casualty. A conscious person who can maintain an airway may use a position of comfort. A person without suspected neck or spine injury may need a head-tilt and chin-lift. A person with possible neck or spine injury may need a jaw thrust while keeping the head and neck neutral. The curriculum warns against blind finger sweeps.
BPOC 40.8 addresses breathing problems. A penetrating injury to the chest, abdomen, or back can call for an occlusive dressing, preferably a commercial vented chest seal, with monitoring for tension pneumothorax. Severe allergic reaction, asthma attack, and opioid overdose all require rapid referral to medical personnel. The officer may encourage self-administration of prescribed epinephrine or inhaler medication and may administer naloxone when indicated, available, and authorized.
| Condition clue | BPOC recognition point | Best exam direction |
|---|---|---|
| Chest wound with breathing distress | Possible tension pneumothorax | Chest seal if trained, monitor, rapid medical referral |
| Pinpoint pupils and slow breathing | Opioid overdose | Rescue breathing and naloxone if authorized |
| Chest pressure, jaw or left arm pain | Heart attack | Position of comfort and rapid medical referral |
| Pale, cool skin and weak pulse | Shock | Recovery position, temperature control, rapid referral |
| Facial droop and one-sided weakness | Stroke | Airway, head elevated if able, rapid referral |
BPOC 40.9 requires completion of a nationally accredited CPR/AED course covering adults, children, and infants, plus choking and rescue breathing components. The JTA also lists AED deployment, CPR, rescue breathing, first aid for heart attack, and overdose response as core tasks. A question that asks about cardiac arrest should not be answered with transport first if CPR/AED is immediately indicated and safe.
BPOC 40.10 through 40.14 adds environmental, trauma, and medical-recognition patterns. Heat emergencies call for removal from heat and cooling. Cold emergencies call for warmth, dry clothing, and keeping trauma patients warm. Burns require stopping the burning process without exposing the officer, removing constricting jewelry or clothing, dry dressings, and medical referral. Fractures and severe sprains require immobilization above and below the injury and reassessment of circulation.
Applied Scenario Guidance
For altered mental status, read the physical clues. Cool and clammy suggests low blood sugar in the BPOC memory aid, and hot and dry suggests sugar high. A seizure call asks officers not to hold the person down and to protect the person as trained. A childbirth stem rewards calm support of normal delivery but rapid medical referral for abnormal presentations or severe bleeding.
Exam Trap
Do not turn recognition aids into treatment authority beyond the source. The official pattern is basic aid, airway maintenance, prescribed self-medication support when appropriate, authorized naloxone, CPR/AED, and rapid referral. Another common trap is treating shock as emotional upset. BPOC 40.9 defines physiological shock as inadequate blood flow with altered consciousness, pale or cool skin, and rapid, weak, or absent pulse.
A crash victim is unconscious and a major fall or wreck makes spine injury a concern. Which airway technique best fits the BPOC objective?
A person has slow shallow breathing, blue skin, pinpoint pupils, and suspected opioid use. What is the best BPOC-aligned response?
Which statement about seizure response best matches BPOC Chapter 40?