Other than missing out on the Black Eyed Peas and U2 concert up the street, studying for our exams this time around has been similar to those in the past. Thank goodness, it is starting to become a familiar process that has an end in sight.
Medical Knowledge
Knowing that after the last exams I realized a need to change the way I approach my studies, I am hoping that the change for the better has occurred. In the last few weeks we have had enough quizzes in class to "force" the information in our heads early. For better or worse, it leaves us with a simple review of the concepts at this stage, thus allowing more time for novel material and difficult concepts.
After talking with a few of my colleagues, we were happily surprised by how far we have come. One year ago we would not have been able to carry on a conversation concerning our current material with an understanding of the terminology or concepts. During this second year of medical school there has been a significant increase in vocabulary and conceptual development that builds a stable foundation for medical comprehension. We are only beginning the year, so I imagine there is a lot more to learn, but for the time being we enjoy knowing that all this studying is paying off.
Board Prep Question of the Week
A 44 year-old obese woman who has been recovering from a knee sprain develops sudden shortness of breath and left-sided chest pain with inspiration. On exam, HR is 110, RR is 24, Temp is 37 C, the pulmonic portion of the second heart sound is accentuated, 3 cm of JVD is appreciated, and the right leg is slightly swollen and tender. Trachea is midline and lung sounds are equal bilaterally without wheezes, rales, or rhonchi. The remainder of physical exam is unremarkable. If pathological examination was performed, what would be seen in the affected lung tissue?
A. Caseating necrosis with acid-fast bacilli
B. Exudative consolidation with numerous Gram-positive cocci
C. Hemorrhagic wedge-shaped infarct
D. Loss of alveolar septa
E. Pale infarct at the periphery of the lung parenchyma
Answer & Explanation
Dang. I knew it was a PE, but I don't know enough about pathology to tell what type of infarct it would cause...
ReplyDeleteNice work Dan...at least you were moving in the right direction.
ReplyDelete