Major burns respiratory compromise — DipIMC MCQ

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ModerateEnvironmental MedicineMajor burns respiratory compromiseDipIMC

At a house fire major incident, an adult casualty is unable to walk with circumferential full-thickness leg burns and respiratory rate 32/min. What is the triage category?

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Correct answer: D — Priority 1 (red)

Option D is correct because Severe burns with respiratory rate above threshold indicate immediate priority. Option C is less appropriate because Priority 2 is for serious injury without immediate life-saving criteria; option E is less appropriate because Priority 3 is for walking wounded or minor casualties with stable physiology. Option A is less appropriate because expectant triage is used in exceptional resource-limited circumstances; option B is less appropriate because the stem does not meet criteria for death assignment. 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