A patient is unresponsive and apneic after a suspected neck injury.

In this scenario, the EMT’s top priority is still the airway . Even with a suspected neck injury, ventilation will not be effective unless the airway stays open and patent . National EMS education standards emphasize that EMT care in airway emergencies is built around assuring a patent airway, adequate mechanical ventilation, and respiration . ( ems.gov )

Trauma guidance supports using a jaw-thrust first when spinal injury is suspected, but it also makes clear that opening and maintaining the airway takes precedence for oxygenation and ventilation. The AHA notes that in head and neck trauma, the priority is to open the airway . ( cpr.heart.org )