Which patient is not indicated for spinal immobilization?

Spinal immobilization is indicated for patients who may have sustained a spinal cord injury or who have mechanisms of injury that suggest such an injury could be present. In this case, the patient with a knife wound to the chest and a GCS of 15 does not present with factors that necessitate spinal immobilization.

A GCS (Glasgow Coma Scale) score of 15 indicates that the patient is alert and oriented, showing no signs of altered mental status or neurological deficits. Therefore, in the absence of a significant risk factor for spinal cord injury—such as trauma to the head, neck, or significant mechanism of injury related to the spine—spinal immobilization would not be required for this patient.

In contrast, patients with a GCS of 8 or lower indicate a decreased level of consciousness, suggesting potential head or spinal injuries that necessitate immobilization. Similarly, a patient involved in a motorcycle accident has a high risk of spinal injury due to the forces involved in such incidents. Patients showing signs of axial skeletal injury also require immobilization to prevent further injury while being transported to a medical facility. Thus, the knife wound patient with a GCS of 15 is the one not indicated for spinal immobilization based on the information