Practice Test Geeks(ABEM) American Board of Emergency Medicine Practice Test
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ABEM Gastrointestinal, Renal & Metabolic Emergencies Flashcards

6 cards from real ABEM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 6 ABEM Gastrointestinal, Renal & Metabolic Emergencies flashcards as text

  1. A patient presents with oliguria, BUN 80, creatinine 6.2 (baseline 1.0), and no urine output for 12 hours. Bladder scan shows 600 mL. What is the next step?

    Answer: Foley catheter placement

    Post-renal AKI from bladder outlet obstruction requires immediate Foley catheterization to relieve the obstruction.

  2. A patient with diabetes presents with nausea, vomiting, blood glucose 520 mg/dL, pH 7.20, bicarbonate 10, and ketones positive. What is the most critical initial intervention?

    Answer: IV fluid resuscitation with normal saline

    IV fluid resuscitation is the most critical first step in DKA to restore intravascular volume before initiating insulin therapy.

  3. A patient on ACE inhibitor presents with serum potassium of 6.8 mEq/L and peaked T-waves on ECG. What is the FIRST treatment to administer?

    Answer: Calcium gluconate IV

    Calcium gluconate is the first-line treatment in hyperkalemia with ECG changes because it stabilizes the cardiac membrane immediately.

  4. A patient presents with confusion, serum sodium of 118 mEq/L, and euvolemia. What is the safest correction rate for chronic hyponatremia?

    Answer: No more than 8–10 mEq/L in 24 hours

    Overcorrecting chronic hyponatremia faster than 8–10 mEq/L per 24 hours risks osmotic demyelination syndrome (central pontine myelinolysis).

  5. A patient with a history of kidney stones presents with colicky flank pain radiating to the groin, hematuria, and nausea. CT shows a 7 mm ureteral stone. What is the appropriate management?

    Answer: Pain control, hydration, alpha-blocker, and urology follow-up

    Stones 5–10 mm have a moderate chance of spontaneous passage; alpha-blockers (e.g., tamsulosin) plus analgesia and urology follow-up is appropriate.

  6. A patient presents with altered mental status, tachycardia, fever, and a thyroid-stimulating hormone near zero with T4 markedly elevated. What is the diagnosis?

    Answer: Thyroid storm

    Thyroid storm is a life-threatening hypermetabolic emergency characterized by hyperthermia, tachycardia, altered mental status, and extremely low TSH.