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Two casualties one ambulance — DipIMC MCQ

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ModerateRetrieval and Transport MedicineTwo casualties one ambulanceDipIMC

At a farm incident, one patient has a stable arm fracture and another is hypotensive after pelvic trauma. One ambulance is available now and backup is 20 minutes away. What is the most appropriate immediate action?

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

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Correct answer: E — Transport the unstable pelvic trauma patient first with pre-alert

Option E is correct because Transport priority should follow clinical urgency, with the unstable major trauma patient taking precedence. 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: MIMMS; NHS Major Incident Triage Tool