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PEA from tension pneumothorax — DipIMC MCQ

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EasyResuscitationPEA from tension pneumothoraxDipIMC

A man arrests after blunt chest trauma. CPR is in progress, the rhythm is PEA and the right chest has absent breath sounds with hyper-expansion. What is the most appropriate immediate action?

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

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Correct answer: B — Decompress the right chest immediately while CPR continues

Option B is correct because Tension pneumothorax is a reversible traumatic cause of PEA and must be treated during resuscitation. Option E 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 C is less appropriate because it is plausible in a different scenario but suboptimal for the features described; option D 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