Advanced First Aid Practice Exam 2026 – Your All-in-One Guide to Master First Aid Certification!

In suspected back or neck injury, the key aim is to keep the airway open while protecting the spine from movement. That means you focus on maintaining a clear airway without actions that could bend or twist the neck. The best phrase to capture this goal is “Keep the airway open.” It directly states the priority of airway patency and implies doing so with spine protection in mind, such as using a jaw-thrust with manual in-line stabilization rather than a head-tilt maneuver.

In practice, if the airway is obstructed or breathing is compromised, you open the airway using techniques that don't flex or extend the neck and you provide ventilation as needed, all while keeping the head and neck stabilized. Oxygen administration may follow, but on its own it doesn’t guarantee a patent airway in a trauma patient.

Other options describe actions that either miss the primary objective or could cause harm. Simply providing oxygen, while important, doesn’t ensure the airway remains open. Applying a cervical collar with the intent to manage the airway but removing the airway device would be inappropriate. Stopping rescue efforts until help arrives is dangerous and improper in a trauma situation.