b'Chapter hapterWith an unconscious patient, care of the airway takes precedence over any injuryincluding the possibility of a spinal injury.All unconscious patients must be handled gently and every effort made to avoidany twisting or forward movement of the head and spine.With an unconscious woman in an advanced stage of pregnancy she should be placed onto herleft side. This will help prevent distress to the foetus. n the event of a suspected SPINAL INJURY and you are the only first aider, the same method Ishould be used. If there are others that can assist, one helper should support and steady the patients head. Another helper should stabilise the spine (keep it aligned) while you gently roll the patient over. If there are more helpers, the log roll technique can be used.The Log Roll TechniqueThe log roll is a manoeuvre performed by a trained team, to carefully turn a patient whose whole body must be kept aligned. This is normally from a supine (on their back) position onto their side in which the extremities (limbs) are held close to their side and they are rolled like a log.This is often performed so as to examine the back and / or to place or remove a spine board.The log roll is also vital in an unconscious patient to help maintain a clear and open airway.Resuscitation 59'