How should you handle a patient with suspected spinal injury when the plane needs to move?

• A. Move the patient to a different seat to speed evacuation.
• B. Gently rotate the head to check alignment.
• C. Keep neck still and coordinate with ground-based medical team; minimize movement.
• D. Immediately remove cervical collar and assess vitals.

Answer: (C)

The essential idea here is protecting the spine. When a spinal injury is suspected, even small movements can shift a fracture or injure the spinal cord, potentially causing paralysis. So the priority is to keep the neck and spine in a neutral, immobilized position and to minimize movement as you arrange for help from trained medical personnel.

On a plane that needs to move, you should keep the neck still and coordinate with the ground-based medical team to guide the evacuation. This minimizes the risk of worsening the injury while you get the patient to safety and into the hands of professionals who can provide definitive care. If a cervical collar or immobilization is already in place, maintain it and avoid removing it or adjusting the neck yourself unless you are trained to do so and advised by medical personnel. While you do this, monitor airway and breathing and only move the patient as little as possible, following professional guidance for transfer.