ResidentNet/boardprep/questions

In the previous issue of ResidentNet, we looked at some general test-taking strategies.
In this issue, we've prepared a few sample questions, taken (with permission) from the American College of Surgeons' Surgical Education and Self-Assessment Program (SESAP). The American Board of Surgeons calls SESAP "an excellent preparation for Certification and Recertification." The content of these four multiple choice questions is similar to what you'll see on ABS' certification exam.
So get your #2 pencil sharpened and begin:

A 29-year old man is brought to the hospital two hours after sustaining a gunshot wound to the left lower extremity. The entrance wound is located on the medial aspect of the mid thigh and the exit wound is found on the lateral aspect just above the knee. The patient has a large hematoma and the extremity is cold and pulseless.
Early management should consist of all of the following EXCEPT:

(A) type and crossmatch of blood
(B) an arteriogram of the involved extremity
(C) determination of compartment pressures
(D) operation
(E) systemic heparin

I can't wait, show me the answer
to Question 1 now
Full-thickness grafts are frequently preferable to split-thickness grafts when there is a high priority for

(A) reliability of graft "take"
(B) sensory return
(C) extent of wound coverage
(D) durability
(E) tolerance to infection

I can't wait, show me the answer
to Question 2 now
Tissue injury in high tension electrical trauma

(A) typically involves the trunk
(B) is best estimated by a careful analysis of the degree of overlying skin injury
(C) is most severe at the points of electrical contact
(D) is secondary to current frequency rather than density
(E) varies indirectly with the degree of tissue resistance

I can't wait, show me the answer
to Question 3 now
Which of the following statements about wound healing is NOT true:
(A) Supplemental Vitamin A prevents radiation-induced defects in wound healing in rats
(B) Local hyperthermia increases the rate of healing
(C) High doses of corticosteroids retard the rate of wound healing, but the healing can still go on to completion
(D) Cyclosporine inhibits skin and fascial healing
(E) Azathioprine significantly retards skin healing, but does not affect musculofascial healing

Answer t o Question 4

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American College of Surgeons SESAP 96-98 Ninth Edition
copyright 1995. Used with permission.

Disclaimer: The contributors and sponsors of ResidentNet make no claims regarding the potential applications of the informative content. Surgical and diagnostic procedure should conform to current accepted community practice, and should be under the supervision of a qualified and credentialed practitioner. The text herein is informational only, and should not be the sole basis for determining patient management.