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Traumatic hypovolaemia — DipIMC MCQ

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ModeratePre-Hospital Trauma ManagementTraumatic hypovolaemiaDipIMC

A man with crushed lower limb trauma is confused, cold and has no radial pulse, though a carotid pulse is present. Blood products are not available. What is the most appropriate management?

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

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Correct answer: A — Give small aliquots of warmed crystalloid to maintain a central pulse

Option A is correct because Pre-hospital traumatic bleeding uses restrictive crystalloid when blood is unavailable, titrated to central circulation. Option C is less appropriate because watchful waiting risks deterioration or delays definitive care; option B is less appropriate because the clinical risk exceeds that destination or timeframe. Option D is less appropriate because it is plausible in a different scenario but suboptimal for the features described; option E is less appropriate because analgesia is important but not sufficient as the primary intervention. Clinical pearl: in DipIMC-style questions, the best answer is the intervention that changes outcome earliest in the pre-hospital phase.

Reference: NICE Major Trauma NG39; JRCALC Guidelines