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Non-breathing after airway opening — DipIMC MCQ

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EasyMajor Incident ManagementNon-breathing after airway openingDipIMC

At a train derailment, an adult casualty is motionless and not breathing. After a simple airway opening manoeuvre there is still no breathing. What is the triage category?

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

Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct answer: A — Dead (black)

Option A is correct because In adult primary triage, no breathing after airway opening is categorised as dead. Option E is less appropriate because Priority 1 is reserved for immediate life-saving needs or severe physiological compromise; option B is less appropriate because Priority 2 is for serious injury without immediate life-saving criteria. Option D is less appropriate because Priority 3 is for walking wounded or minor casualties with stable physiology; option C is less appropriate because expectant triage is used in exceptional resource-limited circumstances. Clinical pearl: in DipIMC-style questions, the best answer is the intervention that changes outcome earliest in the pre-hospital phase.

Reference: MIMMS; NHS Major Incident Triage Tool