A patient was admitted to the emergency department after falling from the second floor of a building. Just after the accident, he was observed to be mumbling a few words that were audible but jumbled. A cervical collar belt was also being used.
In a primary examination, the patient’s airway was found to be intact, with equal breath sounds and bilateral chest-rise. The patient was noticed to have slight bruising and swelling on the left arm and face, strong central pulses and weak peripheral pulses. The patient’s vital signs showed that he was hypotensive and tachycardic.