Practice Test GeeksCMC - Cardiac Medicine Certification Practice Test
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Technology & Digital Tools 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.

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  1. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) in interventional cardiology provides superior image resolution compared to intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) primarily because it uses:

    Answer: Near-infrared light rather than sound waves, achieving 10-15 μm resolution

    OCT uses near-infrared light to achieve 10–15 μm resolution, approximately 10× greater than IVUS, enabling visualization of thin-cap fibroatheroma.

  2. A cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) remote monitoring alert fires for a patient showing 6 hours of atrial high-rate episodes at 190 bpm. The MOST appropriate next action is:

    Answer: Contact the patient to assess symptoms and review device logs before deciding on anticoagulation changes

    Sub-clinical atrial fibrillation detected by CIEDs requires clinical correlation including symptom assessment and stroke risk evaluation before therapeutic changes.

  3. When using speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) to assess left ventricular function, global longitudinal strain (GLS) of -14% in a patient with preserved ejection fraction suggests:

    Answer: Subclinical myocardial dysfunction despite normal LVEF

    Normal GLS is typically more negative than -18%; a value of -14% indicates reduced myocardial deformation consistent with subclinical dysfunction.

  4. In a cardiac catheterization lab, the term 'DICOM' refers to:

    Answer: Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine, the standard format for storing and transmitting medical images

    DICOM is the universal standard for handling, storing, and transmitting medical imaging data including cath lab fluoroscopy and echo images.

  5. A wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD) is MOST appropriately prescribed for:

    Answer: A patient with newly diagnosed cardiomyopathy and LVEF 25% awaiting reassessment of LVEF after 3 months of GDMT

    WCDs bridge the period before ICD implantation in patients with newly diagnosed low LVEF who may recover function with GDMT.

  6. During an exercise stress test, the Bruce protocol treadmill software calculates metabolic equivalents (METs). A patient achieving 10 METs indicates:

    Answer: Excellent functional capacity associated with low cardiovascular mortality risk

    Achieving ≥10 METs on a Bruce protocol indicates excellent functional capacity and confers a favorable prognosis regardless of other findings.

  7. Instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) differs from FFR in that it:

    Answer: Measures pressure ratio during the diastolic wave-free period without pharmacologic hyperemia

    iFR measures the pressure ratio across a stenosis during a naturally occurring low-resistance period in diastole, eliminating the need for adenosine.