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Drowning cardiac arrest — DIPIMC MCQ

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HardResuscitationDrowning cardiac arrestDIPIMCDipIMC

A 9-year-old is pulled from a lake, is unresponsive, apnoeic and pulseless, and can be managed safely on land. The team has a bag-mask and defibrillator. What is the correct initial resuscitation sequence?

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

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Correct answer: B — Give five initial rescue breaths, then begin standard paediatric CPR

The best answer is “Give five initial rescue breaths, then begin standard paediatric CPR”. Drowning arrest is usually hypoxic, so effective initial ventilation is particularly important. RCUK recommends five rescue breaths as soon as it is safe, followed by standard paediatric CPR with uninterrupted oxygenation and ventilation prioritised alongside early AED use. Defibrillation, rewarming and treatment of contributing factors matter, but none should delay initial ventilations and CPR in an apnoeic pulseless child.

Reference: RCUK 2025 Paediatric Life Support: https://www.resus.org.uk/professional-library/2025-resuscitation-guidelines/paediatric-basic-life-support-guidelines