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Hypothermic cardiac arrest — DipIMC MCQ

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HardResuscitationHypothermic cardiac arrestDipIMC

A hillwalker is found in cardiac arrest after overnight exposure. He is very cold, not frozen, and the monitor shows VF. What is the most appropriate management?

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

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Correct answer: E — Continue resuscitation and arrange transfer for active rewarming capability

Option E is correct because Severe accidental hypothermia can be survivable with prolonged resuscitation and specialist rewarming. Option A is less appropriate because watchful waiting risks deterioration or delays definitive care; option D is less appropriate because the clinical risk exceeds that destination or timeframe. Option B is less appropriate because it is plausible in a different scenario but suboptimal for the features described; option C 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: Resuscitation Council UK Guidelines