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Paediatric non-breathing after rescue breaths — DipIMC MCQ

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HardMajor Incident ManagementPaediatric non-breathing after rescue breathsDipIMC

At a river rescue major incident, a 5-year-old is not breathing. After airway opening and rescue breaths, spontaneous breathing does not resume. What is the triage category?

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

Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct answer: B — Dead (black)

Option B is correct because Paediatric triage includes rescue breaths before death assignment; absent breathing after this remains dead category. Option C is less appropriate because Priority 1 is reserved for immediate life-saving needs or severe physiological compromise; option D is less appropriate because Priority 2 is for serious injury without immediate life-saving criteria. Option A is less appropriate because Priority 3 is for walking wounded or minor casualties with stable physiology; option E is less appropriate because expectant triage is used in exceptional resource-limited circumstances. 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