Browse topics
Cardiology
47 notes, 142 questions and 420 flashcards.
Tier 1 is core knowledge expected of every trainee. Tier 2 is deeper or less common.
Presentations
Key conditions
- Acute coronary syndromesFree sampleSTEMI, ACOMI and NSTEACS, from the first ECG to reperfusion, antithrombotic therapy, complications and secondary prevention.Tier 1, condition, 3 questions, 13 flashcards
- Acute pericarditisDiagnostic criteria, telling it from STEMI, high-risk features, NSAID plus colchicine treatment, and recurrence.Tier 1, condition, 3 questions, 8 flashcards
- Acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart diseaseThe Australian Jones criteria for high-risk and low-risk groups, benzathine benzylpenicillin prophylaxis and how long to give it, echo diagnosis, and RHD in pregnancy and remote communities.Tier 1, condition, 3 questions, 9 flashcards
- Aortopathy: aortic aneurysm and dissectionThoracic and abdominal aneurysm thresholds, heritable aortopathy, and the recognition and first-hour management of acute aortic syndromes.Tier 1, condition, 3 questions, 9 flashcards
- Heart failureDiagnosis by ejection fraction category, the four pillars for HFrEF, devices, HFpEF, and managing acute decompensation.Tier 1, condition, 3 questions, 11 flashcards
- Infective endocarditisBlood cultures before antibiotics, the Duke-ISCVID criteria, echo strategy, antibiotic principles, surgical indications and prophylaxis in Australia.Tier 1, condition, 3 questions, 10 flashcards
- Lipoprotein disorders and dyslipidaemiaPrimary and secondary dyslipidaemias, familial hypercholesterolaemia, Lp(a), LDL targets by risk, and the order of statin, ezetimibe, PCSK9 and other therapies.Tier 1, condition, 3 questions, 10 flashcards
- Stable ischaemic heart diseaseChronic coronary syndromes from pretest likelihood to CT coronary angiography, antianginal choices, event prevention, when revascularisation helps (ISCHEMIA, REVIVED), ANOCA, and IHD in older people.Tier 1, condition, 3 questions, 9 flashcards
- Valvular heart diseaseAortic stenosis and regurgitation, mitral regurgitation and stenosis, tricuspid disease and prosthetic valves, with severity thresholds, when to intervene (ESC/EACTS 2025), TAVI versus surgery, anticoagulation and pregnancy.Tier 1, condition, 3 questions, 9 flashcards
Cardiac arrhythmias
- Atrial fibrillationStroke prevention, rate or rhythm control, risk factor management, and the traps of pre-excited and valvular AF.Tier 1, condition, 3 questions, 9 flashcards
- Atrial flutterRecognising typical flutter at 150/min, anticoagulating as for AF, the 1:1 conduction trap with class IC drugs, and cavotricuspid isthmus ablation.Tier 1, condition, 3 questions, 9 flashcards
- Atrioventricular and bundle-branch blockReading AV block and bundle-branch block on the ECG, where the block sits, reversible causes, and when to pace, including bifascicular block with syncope.Tier 1, condition, 3 questions, 10 flashcards
- Sinus node dysfunction and bradycardiaSeparating physiological from pathological bradycardia, reversible causes, acute treatment of unstable bradycardia, and when sick sinus syndrome needs a pacemaker.Tier 1, condition, 3 questions, 8 flashcards
- Supraventricular tachycardiaAVNRT, AVRT and atrial tachycardia, the modified Valsalva and adenosine, Wolff-Parkinson-White traps, and catheter ablation as first-line cure.Tier 1, condition, 3 questions, 10 flashcards
- Ventricular tachycardiaTelling VT from SVT with aberrancy, acute treatment by stability and morphology, torsades, electrical storm, ICDs and ablation.Tier 1, condition, 4 questions, 10 flashcards
Hypertension
- Hypertension, including hypertensive emergenciesConfirming the diagnosis out of clinic, when to look for secondary causes, drug choice and targets, resistant hypertension and hypertensive emergencies.Tier 1, condition, 3 questions, 10 flashcards
- Pulmonary hypertensionHaemodynamic definition, the five clinical groups, the work-up that finds CTEPH and PAH, risk stratification and PAH drug therapy.Tier 1, condition, 3 questions, 10 flashcards
Less common or complex conditions
- Peripheral vascular diseaseLower limb peripheral arterial disease from claudication to chronic limb-threatening and acute limb ischaemia, with ABI interpretation, risk factor treatment, antithrombotic choices (COMPASS, VOYAGER-PAD) and when to revascularise.Tier 1, condition, 3 questions, 9 flashcards
- Cardiovascular manifestations of systemic and chronic diseaseThe cardiac lesions that systemic diseases cause and the clue that links them, from lupus, amyloid and sarcoid to CKD, HIV, carcinoid, neuromuscular disease and cancer therapy.Tier 2, condition, 3 questions, 9 flashcards
- Cholesterol embolusAtheroembolism after angiography or vascular surgery, the livedo, blue toes, eosinophilia and subacute AKI that give it away, how it differs from contrast nephropathy, and supportive management with a statin.Tier 2, condition, 3 questions, 8 flashcards
Advanced arrhythmias and channelopathies
- Brugada syndromeFree sampleType 1 coved ST elevation, fever and drug triggers, who needs an ICD, quinidine and ablation, and family screening for an inherited sodium channel disease.Tier 1, condition, 3 questions, 8 flashcards
- Long QT syndromeMeasuring and correcting the QT, congenital LQT1 to LQT3 and their triggers, beta-blockers and ICDs, and acquired QT prolongation from drugs and electrolytes.Tier 1, condition, 3 questions, 9 flashcards
- Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathyDesmosomal fibrofatty cardiomyopathy of young adults. T-wave inversion in V1 to V3, LBBB-morphology VT, cardiac MRI and Task Force criteria, exercise restriction, ICDs and family screening.Tier 2, condition, 3 questions, 8 flashcards
- Wolff-Parkinson-White syndromeAccessory pathway pre-excitation. The ECG and its mimics, orthodromic and antidromic AVRT, pre-excited AF, risk stratification of the asymptomatic pattern, and ablation.Tier 2, condition, 3 questions, 8 flashcards
Cardiomyopathy
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathyDiagnosis by wall thickness, LVOT obstruction and its drugs, myosin inhibitors and the PBS, sudden death risk and ICDs, phenocopies, AF and family screening.Tier 1, condition, 3 questions, 10 flashcards
- Dilated cardiomyopathyLV dilatation and systolic dysfunction without coronary or loading cause. Genetic and acquired causes, MRI and genetic testing, LMNA disease, ICD decisions after DANISH, and peripartum cardiomyopathy.Tier 2, condition, 3 questions, 9 flashcards
- Restrictive cardiomyopathy and cardiac amyloidosisStiff, non-dilated ventricles. Causes, restriction versus constriction, ATTR and AL amyloid red flags, the non-biopsy bone scan pathway, tafamidis and the PBS, and drugs that go badly in amyloid.Tier 2, condition, 3 questions, 9 flashcards
Congenital heart disease
- Atrial and ventricular septal defectsASD types and their ECG clues, the fixed split S2, small versus large VSDs, when to close a shunt (and when closure is harmful), post-infarct VSD, and PFO.Tier 2, condition, 3 questions, 8 flashcards
- Coarctation of the aortaThe young hypertensive with radiofemoral delay, the arm-leg gradient and rib notching, stenting as first-line repair in adults, and lifelong follow-up for hypertension, re-coarctation, aneurysm and the bicuspid valve.Tier 2, condition, 3 questions, 8 flashcards
- Eisenmenger syndromeShunt reversal from pulmonary vascular disease, recognising it, the multisystem effects of cyanosis, what not to do (closure, venesection by numbers, pregnancy) and PAH therapy.Tier 2, condition, 3 questions, 8 flashcards
- Tetralogy of FallotThe adult after Fallot repair, with pulmonary regurgitation and RV dilatation, when to replace the pulmonary valve, QRS duration and sudden death, and 22q11.2 deletion.Tier 2, condition, 3 questions, 8 flashcards
- Transposition of the great arteriesComplete (d-) and congenitally corrected (cc-) transposition, the atrial versus arterial switch and their late problems, the systemic right ventricle, and complete heart block.Tier 2, condition, 3 questions, 8 flashcards
Pericardial disease
- Constrictive pericarditisRight heart failure from a stiff pericardium, its signs, telling it from restrictive cardiomyopathy and tamponade, the Mayo echo criteria, transient constriction and pericardiectomy.Tier 2, condition, 3 questions, 8 flashcards
- Dressler syndrome and post-cardiac injury syndromeLate pericarditis after MI, cardiac surgery or procedures; the ESC 2025 diagnostic definition and the older 2-of-5 rule, telling it from early post-infarct pericarditis and rupture, high-dose aspirin plus colchicine, and colchicine prophylaxis before cardiac surgery.Tier 2, condition, 3 questions, 8 flashcards
- Pericardial effusion and tamponadeSizing and triaging a pericardial effusion, finding the cause, recognising tamponade at the bedside and on echo, what to do (and avoid) before pericardiocentesis, and why large chronic idiopathic effusions are now watched rather than drained.Tier 2, condition, 3 questions, 9 flashcards
Investigations and procedures
- Ankle-brachial index, arterial Dopplers and duplex ultrasoundHow to calculate and interpret the ABI and toe-brachial index, read Doppler waveforms, and use duplex thresholds for leg arteries, bypass grafts, carotids, renal arteries and veins, with the traps of calcified vessels.Tier 2, medical sciences concept, 3 questions, 8 flashcards
- Cardiac MRIWhat each cardiac MRI sequence shows, how to read late gadolinium enhancement patterns (ischaemic, myocarditis, DCM, HCM, amyloid, sarcoid, Fabry), mapping and T2*, the Lake Louise criteria, and safety with devices, kidneys and pregnancy.Tier 2, medical sciences concept, 3 questions, 9 flashcards
- Coronary angiographyHow to read an angiogram report (dominance, stenosis grading, TIMI flow, FFR and iFR, SYNTAX), who needs one under current Australian and ESC guidance, and the complications to warn about.Tier 2, medical sciences concept, 3 questions, 8 flashcards
- CT coronary angiography and coronary calcium scoreWho should have a CTCA or a calcium score, how to read CAD-RADS 2.0 and Agatston categories, what a score of zero does and doesn't mean, and the Medicare rules that apply in Australia.Tier 2, medical sciences concept, 3 questions, 8 flashcards
- Echocardiography, including stress echocardiographyHow to read an echo report line by line (LV size and function, diastolic grading under ASE 2025, RV and pulmonary pressure, valves), when to choose TOE, and what stress echo adds for ischaemia, viability and low-gradient aortic stenosis.Tier 2, medical sciences concept, 3 questions, 10 flashcards
- Electrocardiography: how to interpretA systematic read of the 12-lead ECG with normal values, the patterns examiners show (occlusion MI, hyperkalaemia, pre-excitation, Brugada, LVH), and the traps of lead reversal and Bazett correction.Tier 2, medical sciences concept, 3 questions, 9 flashcards
- Exercise stress testing and myocardial perfusion scansWhat a positive exercise ECG looks like, the Duke treadmill score worked through, when the resting ECG makes the test uninterpretable, and how to read SPECT and PET perfusion (reversible versus fixed defects, balanced ischaemia, attenuation artefact).Tier 2, medical sciences concept, 3 questions, 10 flashcards
- Holter and ambulatory ECG monitoringChoosing between Holter, patch, event recorder, implantable loop recorder and smartwatch by symptom frequency, reading a Holter report line by line (pauses, AV block, ectopy burden, runs, symptom correlation), and the Medicare rules.Tier 2, medical sciences concept, 3 questions, 8 flashcards
- Implantable defibrillators and cardiac resynchronisation therapyHow ICDs detect and treat arrhythmias, transvenous versus subcutaneous devices, CRT indications by QRS width and morphology, reading a device check, managing shocks, deactivation at the end of life, and driving.Tier 2, medical sciences concept, 3 questions, 9 flashcards
- PacemakersPacing codes and modes, reading a paced ECG step by step, failure to capture or sense, pacemaker-mediated tachycardia, magnets, MRI and surgery, and when a device problem changes management.Tier 2, medical sciences concept, 3 questions, 9 flashcards