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Drowning with hypothermia — DipIMC MCQ

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EasyEnvironmental MedicineDrowning with hypothermiaDipIMC

A child is rescued from cold seawater after 8 minutes. He is breathing, coughing frothy sputum, shivering and has SpO2 90% on air. 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 — Give oxygen, prevent heat loss and transport for assessment

Option B is correct because Drowning can cause delayed respiratory deterioration and hypothermia, so oxygen, warming and assessment are appropriate. Option A is less appropriate because oxygen may be supportive, but it does not address the defining time-critical problem first; option D 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 E 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: JRCALC Guidelines; Resuscitation Council UK First Aid Guidelines