4th Cardiovascular USMLE

As you are examining the patient described in the previous question, he starts to complain of chest discomfort and shortness of breath and has another syncopal episode. His ECG is shown below. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?

A 19-year-old woman was attacked while coming home from a party and is brought to the emergency department. She recalls being punched in the side of the head and stabbed in the left flank. Her speech is slow and she complains of a bad headache. Her pulse is 110/min, blood pressure is 90/50 mm Hg, and respiratory rate is 25/min. On examination she has a stab wound at the left costal margin in the midaxillary line. Two large-bore intravenous lines are inserted, and after infusion of 2 L of lactated Ringer’s solution her blood pressure rises to 95/55 mm Hg. What is the most appropriate next step in management?

Yesterday you admitted a 55-year-old white male to the hospital for an episode of chest pain, and you are seeking to rule out MI plus assess for any underlying coronary artery disease. The patient tends to be anxious about his health. On admission, his lungs were clear, but his heart revealed a grade 1/6 early systolic murmur at the upper left sternal border without radiation. Blood pressure readings have consistently been in the 140/90 to 150/100 range. Cardiac enzymes are normal. A resting ECG shows only left ventricular hypertrophy with secondary ST-T changes (“LVH with strain”). Why would a treadmill ECG stress test not be an appropriate test in this patient?

A 67-year-old male presents to your office after community ultrasound screening revealed an aortic aneurysm measuring 3.0 x 3.5 cm. Physical examination confirms a palpable, pulsatile, nontender abdominal mass just above the umbilicus. The patient’s medical conditions include hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and tobacco use. What is the best recommendation for the patient to consider?

You are called by a surgical colleague to evaluate a 54-year-old woman with ECG abnormalities one day after a subtotal thyroidectomy for a toxic multinodular goiter. Her only medication is fentanyl for postoperative pain control. The patient denies any history of syncope, and has no family history of sudden cardiac death. Physical examination is unremarkable except for a clean postoperative incision at the base of the neck. Her ECG is reproduced below. What is the best next step in evaluation and management of this patient?

The laboratory results shown in Table 1–1 are obtained from the investigation of a 37-year-old African-American woman who has a blood pressure at rest of 140/100 mm Hg. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

Image below is the x-ray and MR of an 8-year-old boy who had easy fatigability and a soft, continuous murmur in the upper back. ECG revealed minimal LVH. What is your diagnosis?

A 60-year-old man with a history of congestive heart failure presents to his physician. He has a 5-year history of excessive daytime sleepiness and snoring. He also admits to three drinks of alcohol per day. His temperature is 36.6°C (98.0°F), pulse is 85/min, blood pressure is 138/82 mm Hg, respiratory rate is 14/min, and oxygen saturation is 99% on room air. His body mass index is 31 kg/m2. Physical examination is significant for macroglossia and a short neck. Polysomnography is performed and is significant for multiple nocturnal episodes of airflow cessation at the nose and mouth, despite evidence of continuing respiratory effort. Which of the following is the most effective management for this patient?

During a screening physical examination for participating in high school sports, a 14-yearold girl is found to have a late apical systolic murmur preceded by a click. The rest of the examination is unremarkable. Echocardiography shows superior displacement of the mitral leaflets of >2 mm during systole into the left atrium, with a thickness of at least 8 mm. In addition, she states that her father also has some type of heart “murmur,” but she knows nothing else about it. Which of the following is the most appropriate management at this time?

A 20-year-old woman arrives at the emergency department actively seizing with QRS prolongation on ECG per paramedics. The patient’s roommate called emergency medical services after the patient collapsed, was not responsive to questioning, and began having clonic jerks bilaterally in her upper extremities. The patient’s roommate denies any knowledge of the patient consuming alcohol or illicit drugs. She does not believe the patient had any plan of harming herself, but does acknowledge that the patient has seemed “down” lately and was recently prescribed medication for generalized anhedonia. Which of the following is the most appropriate first-line treatment?

78-year-old woman presents to a nursing home physician complaining of palpitations over the past several months. Her episodes are not associated with any chest pain, dizziness, or loss of consciousness. The patient reports that she spent several weeks in the hospital as a child with rheumatic fever. ECG is shown in the image. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A 59-year-old man presents to the ED with left-sided chest pain and shortness of breath that began 1 hour ago. Initial vital signs are BP 85/45 mm Hg, HR 105 beats per minute, RR 20 breaths per minute, and oxygen saturation 94% on room air. An ECG is seen below. Which of the following is the most appropriate definitive treatment?

A boy is delivered at 37 weeks’ gestation via spontaneous vaginal delivery. He is the product of a normal pregnancy and was delivered without complications. Prenatally the mother was blood type B and was rubella immune and negative for Rh antibody, group B streptococci, rapid plasma reagin, hepatitis B surface antigen, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. The patient appears cyanotic. He is breathing at a rate of 60/min and his heart rate is 130/min. He has a normal S1 and S2. There is a harsh holosystolic murmur that is loudest at the left lower sternal border. His examination reveals palpable nonbounding peripheral pulses bilaterally. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A 91-year-old woman presents to the emergency department with a chief complaint of shortness of breath over the past 2 days. She has a history of hypertension and coronary artery bypass surgery 25 years earlier. Her blood pressure is 178/92 mm Hg and she has jugular venous distension, hepatomegaly, and 3+ lower extremity edema. ECG is remarkable for left ventricular hypertrophy, no ST-segment elevations or depressions, no Q waves, and no T wave abnormalities. Echocardiogram reveals an ejection fraction of 60% and left atrial dilatation. There is universal left ventricular thickening. No valvular regurgitation or stenosis was noted. Which of the following underlying conditions is the most likely cause of this patient’s symptoms?

A 69-year-old woman complains of easy fatigue and one episode of presyncope. On examination of the jugular venous pressure (JVP), there are irregular large a waves. The ECG has fixed PP and RR intervals but varying PR intervals. Which of the following conditions is this most likely caused by?

A 55-year-old man with hypertension and a one-pack-per-day smoking history presents to the ED complaining of three episodes of severe heavy chest pain this morning that radiated to his left shoulder. In the past, he experienced chest discomfort after walking 20 minutes that resolved with rest. The episodes of chest pain this morning occurred while he was reading the newspaper. His BP is 155/80 mm Hg, HR 76 beats per minute, and RR 15 breaths per minute. He does not have chest pain in the ED. An ECG reveals sinus rhythm with a rate of 72. Which of the following best describes this patient’s diagnosis?

A 58-year-old man is brought to the ED for a syncopal episode at dinner. His wife states that he was well until she found him suddenly slumping in the chair and losing consciousness for a minute. The patient recalls having some chest discomfort and shortness of breath prior to the episode. His rhythm strip, obtained by EMS, is shown below. Which of the following best describes these findings?

A 70-year-old female has been healthy except for hypertension treated with a thiazide diuretic. She presents with sudden onset of a severe, tearing chest pain, which radiates to the back and is associated with dyspnea and diaphoresis. Blood pressure is 210/94. Lung auscultation reveals bilateral basilar rales. A faint murmur of aortic insufficiency is heard. The BNP level is elevated at 550 pg/mL (Normal < 100). ECG shows nonspecific ST-T changes. Chest x-ray suggests a widened mediastinum. Which of the following choices represents the best initial management?

Auscultation of the heart of a 17-year-old boy reveals an increased intensity of the pulmonary component of the second heart sound. He complains of dyspnea on exertion but no other cardiac or pulmonary symptoms. Which of the following explanations is the most likely cause of his dyspnea?

A 22-year-old woman complains of palpitations and has a regular heartbeat at a rate of 170/min, with a blood pressure of 110/70 mm Hg. The rate abruptly changes to 75/min after applying carotid sinus pressure. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A 58-year-old man with hypertension is brought to the emergency room after suddenonset chest pain that radiates to his back and arms. He is in moderate distress with a blood pressure of 160/90 mm Hg in the left arm and 120/70 mm Hg in the right arm. Cardiac examination reveals a soft second heart sound and a murmur of aortic insufficiency. His ECG shows sinus tachycardia but no acute ischemic changes, and the chest x-ray (CXR) Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in confirming the diagnosis?