- mechanical prosthetic valve:St Jude
Mechanical Prosthetic Valve
http://cases4paces.blogspot.com/
I started in Station 3.It went well.
Cranial Nv Examination: Lt sided LMN VII Palsy was obvious.Then I looked for cause:auricles,mouth,parotid and neck.Then I asked for smell,Vision and EoM.There was Nystagmas on Lt LGaze.He said Double Vision on Lt Lateral Gaze.Outer image disappeared on covering Rt eye(a bit confused to interpret at that time).Then noted hard of hearing on Lt side.I went for Weber( again he said couldn’t feel it ) then for Rinne ( he cannot follow my instruction),After checking V sensation,I asked to Outstretch arms and finger nose tests.
I gave CPA tumor as Dx.they asked me possible causes( including acoustic neuroma).Rx( Surg/Radio)
CVS: Comfortable pt with AF,purpura over forearm,midline sternotomy & lateral thoracotomy scar.Metallic sound.
Gave Dx as Metallic Mitral Valve,Af on Warfarin,CABG ( When I was about to check legs,times up )
Asked: What U look for in JVP in Af (>absent a),HF Mx.
I was contented when I left that station.Examiners were nice.
Station4:Young lady,admitted with Joint pains.immunological test confirm SLE.blood and protein in urine.unwilling for renal biopsy,talk to her for renal biopsy.
I felt like I got scenario a bit late,went into the room without a strategy.
I was trapped myself into kidney biopsy prematurely.
she was unhappy for being kept in hospital for about 2 weeks without being explained about diagnosis.Other issue was concern about her study.
I did badly in that I should have go through 1,her perception,2.Break SLE Dx.3.Explain/Apologize for not being properly informed during her stay in hospital 4.then benefits of biopsy and procedure.5.Conclude.
Examiner :
why she was angry to hospital?
What to to do next if she refused biopsy.
Station 5
Straight forward:
1_RA ,Peripheral Neuropathy
Concern: Whether her condition got worse as Humira was stopped recently for pneumonia.
Complaint of SoB during interview.
Asked me what might be causes of SoB.
>> my answer was to look for problems related to Lung, Heart or Anaemia
2_Gradual Visual Loss both eyes,T1DM
Soft exudates ( preproliferatve ) without history of laser Rx.
I suspect some len opacities with intact red reflexes.
I explained to the patient referral to Eye doctor,photo of back of the eye and proper glucose control.
examiners asked DDx.(dysglycaemia/cataract/maculopathy etc.)
Station1.
Resp: Mildly Clubbed ,Rt thoracotomy,trachea >lt ( in fact I’m not that confident ),
Dull left side.
L Pneumonectomy
I missed added sound on Rt base when they asked me to listen there again (coarse crackles was my answer ).
asked reason for operation.
asked how to differentiate pleural rub and pericardial rub: I was nervous to hear that Q since it sounded unrelated to my answer!
I simply said ‘stop breathing’.
Abdomen: craniotomy scar,fistula scar over forearm( without thrill or bruit?? )transplant Kid, lobulated mass on other flank.
Standard Qs: PKD mode of transmission,screening,presentation,associations,how to retard progress of kid failure.SEs and caution about ACEI.
Station2
tremor
slow movement
during interview,she
had when she put her hands on lap,
presented on movement,
disturb her ADL,
but not miss the point eg. on eating,drinking
little facial expression noted by her husband,
slowly progressed over a few months.
no memory loss, no depression but dysphagia +, not on anti psychotic
no postural drop on last visit to GP
concern : stroke
family ho tremor + ( i felt it as red herring )
After all,I felt that I might have cleared if I did smoothly in communication and Resp.
Now I m gathering energy to fight back again!
PS: The Candidate was successful in this attempt!
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

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The busiest day of the year was October 11th with 194 views. The most popular post that day was Hands_2.
The top referring sites in 2010 were aippg.net, en.wordpress.com, twitter.com, search.aol.com, and refinancing-home.student-loan-consilidation.com.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for dermatitis herpetiformis, dermatitis, dermatitis herpetiformis pictures, ascites, and mrcp paces 2009.
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
Hands_2 October 2009
2 comments
Station1_issues in COPD August 2010
Station 5_how could I differentiate! August 2010
Sarcoid : RCP’s favorite in Station 1-2-4-5 August 2010
1 comment
Examine this patient’s Arms_2 October 2009
4 comments
from a candidate
Resp: ?bronchiectasis with R mastectomy and bilateral thoracotomy scars,
CVS: young lady with small L thoracotomy scar in the back, and asked “why SOB in pregnancy?”
Hx: longstanding SOB+ suddenly worse, FH of CVA, MI and PE,
Abdo: PKD
NEURO: peripheral sensory neuropathy in diabetic
Ethics: explain to a patient recently diagnosed coeliac disease!
Station 5:
1. diabetic w necrobiosis lipoidica,reached to the diagnosis but examiner not happy because I didn’t address her concerns.
2. 60 year old lady w painless LN in cervical area, said all possible malignancies, then pushed and said sarcoidosis and amyloid, think she had sarcoidosis.
Action Plan:
Follow standard history taking format sensibly.
SOCRATES is useful mnemonics for associated PAIN.
Preformed broad DDx should aid symptom analysis.
COLON vs MALABSORPTION vs SI
Alarm Symptoms will guide the speed and types of INVESTIGATIONS.
Think about BLOOD,STOOL,ENDOSCOPY,IMAGING
Address patient concern and welfare.
Scan as a whole:
enlarged head with hearing aid,bow legs.
tall,thin man with pectus excavatum,arachnodactily and flat feet.
extended neck,kyphoscoliosis with loss of lumbar lordosis.
feel the pulse:
high volume
look at the eyes:
reduced acuity,afferent pupillary defect,optic atrophy and angioid streak.
thick spectacle,tremor of iris and dislocated len,
small pupil,sluggish pupillary response,circumcorneal injection
Listen to the heart.
Proceed for gait and appropriate bed side tests.
be interactive!