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Triage sieve apnoea after airway opening — DipIMC MCQ

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HardMajor IncidentsTriage sieve apnoea after airway openingDipIMC

During a warehouse collapse, an adult casualty is found motionless and apnoeic. After a simple airway opening manoeuvre he begins breathing at 8/min and has a radial pulse. What is the triage category?

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Correct answer: D — Priority 1 (red)

An adult who breathes after airway opening and has a very low respiratory rate is P1 in major incident triage. P4/dead is used when breathing does not resume after airway manoeuvre in applicable triage systems. Low respiratory rate indicates immediate life threat rather than delayed priority.

Reference: MIMMS; NHS Major Incident Triage Tool principles