ABC Mnuemonic

L

littlewoman

Longterm Registered User
Once upon a time, many years ago when I did First Aid at tech college we were taught the ABC mnemonic as steps before starting CPR. Check Airway, check Breathing, check Circulation (pulse).

Then someone decided that people were too stupid to check a pulse but people still liked the ABC coz it makes things seem easy. So they changed C to Compressions. Check Airway, check Breathing and if they're not, start Compressions.

However, recently I heard someone use Airway, Breathing, Circulation, but as a priority of treatment and "Circulation" actually meant bleeding. ie, Treat the Airway, then Breathing, then Circulation (bleeding)

Just to confuse things the army use CABC meaning Catastrophic bleeding, Airway, Breathing, Compressions. ie prioritise treating limbs blown off etc before treating other stuff.

However, looking all this stuff up on the internet, I find that both versions of ABC are being used and the CABC has also been written as Circulation, Airway, Breathing, Circulation. Then, there are a whole variety of different meanings of various letters before and after this depending on situation or who is doing it. Here are just some of the variations ABC (medicine) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So just be aware when you're using these mnemonics in a written procedure, teaching, test, telling someone what to do etc. that you are clear about what is meant and that the other person doesn't understand something different than you do because their training was different.

Perhaps, more importantly, make sure, if you're teaching, that people actually understand the procedures behind any of the mnemonics you use and when to use them and don't just assume that being able to recite a mnemonic means they know what they're doing.
 
I did my FPOS in 2011 and at that time we were taught the
DRCABCD
Danger response catastrophic bleeding airwy breathing circulation disability.
I do however remember my army days was just the ABCD.

Sure they will change again by my next course.
As you say its knowing the meaning behind the pneumonic that counts.
 
You can also throw the MARCH algorithm in there... Massive Bleeding, Airway, Respirations, Circulation, Hypothermia (Hemorrhage secondary)

Or new BLS pneumonic CAB, Circulation, Airway and Breathing..

Or even SLABOCAB: Scene safety, LOC, Airway, Breathing, O2, Circulation, Arterial Bleeding, Bare the chest...

We can probably go on and on...
 
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lssah2025 said:
You can also throw the MARCH algorithm in there... Massive Bleeding, Airway, Respirations, Circulation, Hypothermia (Hemorrhage secondary)

Or new BLS pneumonic CAB, Circulation, Airway and Breathing..

Or even SLABOCAB: Scene safety, LOC, Airway, Breathing, O2, Circulation, Arterial Bleeding, Bare the chest...

We can probably go on and on...
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Hey, we could play a game, someone comes up with a list of random letters and a theme and people have to cobble together a mnemonic to go with it.
 
I realize LittleWoman is speaking of the classroom/teaching world. I have had too many disputes with too many idiots who stick to that mnemonic in the field. Which just proves that you should know what you're talking about, have a good fluid decision-making matrix, and practice often! Mnemonics are for button-pushers, like fire department medics who don't really want to be medics. What's with the CABC? TCCC research and teachings indicate CPR is not indicated while under fire, or in remote/austere environs. The survival probabilities are essentially zero. The AHA has changed its mnemonic to CAB, favoring a check for circulation over a check for breathing. Several years ago they changed their algorithm to exclude ventilations even if compressions are being utilized. PhTLS and ITLS teach that after scene safety, look quickly for massive bleeding, then check CAB (they are both conforming to the AHA mnemonic). Back to my original statement that if you need a mnemonic in practice, you're either new, or in the immortal words of my UK friends, a wanker!
 
K9medic said:
You should try remembering those when, like me, your dyslexic
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This is a point that most trainers don't seem to get. I don't mind mnemonics being used as a memory aid for those that find them useful, but some trainers put more emphasis on you being able to remember a mnemonic than being able to do the procedure. There's people passing theory tests because they can reel off all the mnemonics with little understanding of how and when to apply them, and people failing tests because they're dyslexic and can't remember the mnemonics even though they can do the procedures perfectly well.
 
The decision to drop the pulse check from lay person (non-healthcare professional) CPR wasn't because people were thought to be stupid, but because they found out that even trained healthcare professionals can find it difficult to decide if a carotid pulse is present when they are stressed and when there may be a low-output state with an occasionally palpable pulse, and the delay of "is there, isn't there" delayed compressions being started. A combined "breathing and circulation" check, after opening the airway, still forms part of the "trained personnel" assessment. (I'm not talking about trauma assessment)

I feel that mnemonics have their place, but only if they are kept to a minimum and are kept simple, which is why I prefer the UK approach of ABCDE (airway/breathing/circulation/disability/exposure,environment & everything else) and a universal algorithm, which knowledge can expand/modify in special circumstances, over the US approach where every variation has it's own algorithm and mnemonic. Some people get a lot of benefit from them, though and if it works for them, why not?
 
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