Practice Test GeeksCMC - Cardiac Medicine Certification Practice Test
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Certification Cardio Vascular Flashcards

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

Read the first 7 Certification Cardio Vascular flashcards as text

  1. A patient develops wide complex tachycardia at 180 bpm with AV dissociation on 12-lead ECG. What is the most likely diagnosis?

    Answer: Ventricular tachycardia

    AV dissociation during wide complex tachycardia is a definitive criterion for ventricular tachycardia and distinguishes it from supraventricular causes.

  2. What is the most common cause of sudden cardiac death in athletes under 35 years of age in the United States?

    Answer: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

    Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young US athletes, often due to ventricular fibrillation triggered by exertion.

  3. Which echocardiographic parameter best estimates left ventricular filling pressure non-invasively?

    Answer: E/e' ratio

    The E/e' ratio (ratio of mitral inflow E velocity to tissue Doppler e' velocity) correlates best with invasive left ventricular end-diastolic pressure.

  4. A patient with known HFrEF presents with worsening dyspnea. BNP is 900 pg/mL. Which intervention most directly reduces BNP release?

    Answer: Initiating sacubitril/valsartan (ARNI)

    Sacubitril inhibits neprilysin, which degrades BNP; however, ARNI therapy reduces wall stress (the stimulus for BNP release) more than it elevates BNP by degradation inhibition, resulting in net clinical improvement and symptom reduction.

  5. Which ECG pattern is characteristic of Wellens syndrome and indicates critical LAD stenosis?

    Answer: Biphasic or deeply inverted T waves in V2-V3 during pain-free state

    Wellens syndrome presents with characteristic biphasic or deeply inverted T waves in V2-V3 during a pain-free period, signifying critical proximal LAD stenosis and impending anterior MI.

  6. In a patient with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and a CHA₂DS₂-VASc score of 3, which is the preferred long-term anticoagulation strategy?

    Answer: Direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC)

    A CHA₂DS₂-VASc score ≥2 in males or ≥3 in females warrants oral anticoagulation; DOACs are preferred over warfarin for non-valvular AF due to better safety and efficacy profiles.

  7. Which maneuver differentiates hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) from valvular aortic stenosis on physical examination?

    Answer: The murmur of HOCM increases with standing, while AS murmur decreases

    Standing reduces preload and increases HOCM obstruction (louder murmur), while AS murmur decreases with reduced preload — a key bedside differentiator.