Fire-based EMS trauma care: ABCs vs MARCH
This advanced life support framework can help improve your trauma care
By Rom Duckworth, FireRescue1 Contributor
Everybody knows the ABCs of patient care, but when it comes to trauma priorities, now there's a better way.
Whether you are learning, teaching or practicing EMS care, the ABCs are a pretty good guide. They prioritize airway, breathing and circulation in an easy-to-remember-format applicable in most situations. But even great rules have exceptions.
Difficult trauma calls often start with more problems than we have hands to provide care with. In these cases, bleeding control is the priority, so the ABC mnemonic changes to circulation first, then airway, then breathing.
