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Neonatal retrieval — DipIMC MCQ

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ModerateRetrieval and Transport MedicineNeonatal retrievalDipIMC

After an unexpected home birth at 33 weeks, the baby is breathing but grunting with temperature 35.4°C. The neonatal unit is 50 minutes away. What is the most appropriate transport decision?

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

Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct answer: E — Keep warm, support breathing and arrange neonatal retrieval or direct neonatal unit transfer

Option E is correct because Preterm infants are vulnerable to hypothermia and respiratory deterioration, requiring thermal care and specialist destination. Option D is less appropriate because the clinical risk exceeds that destination or timeframe; option A is less appropriate because pre-alert is needed to mobilise the correct receiving team. Option B is less appropriate because watchful waiting risks deterioration or delays definitive care; option C is less appropriate because unmonitored private transport is unsafe for this risk profile. 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 Newborn Life Support; JRCALC Guidelines