You are dispatched to a local convenience store for a person shot during an armed robbery. What treatment should you include for a female patient lying unresponsive with an entrance wound to the right side of the chest?

In the scenario of a female patient lying unresponsive with a chest entrance wound, assisting ventilations as necessary is the most critical treatment. When a patient is unresponsive, it often indicates a compromised airway or inadequate respiratory effort, particularly due to potential respiratory distress caused by a chest injury. The entrance wound may have caused a pneumothorax or damage to pulmonary tissue, affecting the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Therefore, focusing on maintaining adequate ventilation is essential for this patient’s survival. If the patient is not breathing adequately or at all, the responder should provide positive pressure ventilations to ensure oxygenation of the tissues until advanced medical help arrives.

Providing oxygen via a non-rebreather mask could be beneficial if the patient were responsive and able to maintain their own airway, allowing for high-flow oxygen delivery. However, since she is unresponsive, managing ventilation is the priority.

Applying a pressure bandage might seem relevant for controlling bleeding, but in this case, the nature of the wound and the patient’s unresponsive state means that ensuring airway and breathing takes precedence. Elevating the patient’s legs is typically done for shock management or to improve perfusion but is not a primary concern when immediate respiratory support is needed for a patient with a chest injury