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Traumatic cardiac arrest — DipIMC MCQ

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HardPre-Hospital Trauma ManagementTraumatic cardiac arrestDipIMC

A man collapses after a left chest stab wound. He is pulseless with organised electrical activity and a critical care team with thoracostomy equipment is present. What is the most appropriate immediate action?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

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Correct answer: A — Perform bilateral thoracostomies as part of traumatic arrest care

Option A is correct because Traumatic cardiac arrest requires immediate correction of reversible traumatic causes such as tension pneumothorax. Option D is less appropriate because oxygen may be supportive, but it does not address the defining time-critical problem first; option B is less appropriate because vascular access is useful, but it should not delay the immediate priority. Option C is less appropriate because it is plausible in a different scenario but suboptimal for the features described; option E is less appropriate because delay would increase clinical risk. Clinical pearl: in DipIMC-style questions, the best answer is the intervention that changes outcome earliest in the pre-hospital phase.

Reference: ATACC Manual; JRCALC Guidelines