Opioid respiratory arrest — DipIMC MCQ

Correct answer: E — Provide ventilatory support and give naloxone according to protocol

Option E is correct because Ventilation is the immediate life-saving treatment in opioid respiratory failure, with naloxone to reverse toxicity. Option B is less appropriate because oxygen may be supportive, but it does not address the defining time-critical problem first; option A is less appropriate because vascular access is useful, but it should not delay the immediate priority. Option D is less appropriate because it is plausible in a different scenario but suboptimal for the features described; option C 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: JRCALC Guidelines