What are 50 sample surgical foundation questions with their answers?

From the FDA Drug Label

The FDA drug label does not answer the question.

From the Research

Here are 50 sample surgical foundation questions with their answers, prioritizing morbidity, mortality, and quality of life as the outcome.

Questions 1-5

• Question 1: What is the most common cause of small bowel obstruction? Answer: Adhesions are the most common cause of small bowel obstruction, accounting for approximately 60-70% of cases, as they typically develop after previous abdominal surgery due to fibrous bands forming between tissues during the healing process 1.
• Question 2: What are the components of the Glasgow Coma Scale? Answer: The Glasgow Coma Scale assesses consciousness using three parameters: eye opening (scored 1-4), verbal response (scored 1-5), and motor response (scored 1-6), with lower scores indicating decreased consciousness 2.
• Question 3: What is the initial management of hypovolemic shock? Answer: Initial management of hypovolemic shock includes securing large-bore IV access, administering crystalloid fluids, controlling obvious bleeding, monitoring vital signs, and assessing response to resuscitation, with blood products considered early if hemorrhage is suspected 3.
• Question 4: What are the four types of surgical wound classifications? Answer: The four surgical wound classifications are: Clean, Clean-contaminated, Contaminated, and Dirty/Infected, with infection risk increasing progressively across these categories 4.
• Question 5: What is the Wells score used for? Answer: The Wells score is a clinical prediction rule used to estimate the pretest probability of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE), helping determine the need for further diagnostic testing 5.

Questions 6-10

• Question 6: What are the Parkland formula components for burn fluid resuscitation? Answer: The Parkland formula calculates fluid requirements for the first 24 hours after a burn as 4mL × patient's weight in kg × percentage of total body surface area burned, with lactated Ringer's solution typically used 1.
• Question 7: What are the Ranson criteria for acute pancreatitis? Answer: Ranson criteria assess severity of acute pancreatitis using parameters measured at admission and at 48 hours, with three or more positive criteria indicating severe pancreatitis with increased mortality risk 2.
• Question 8: What is the Child-Pugh classification? Answer: The Child-Pugh classification assesses severity of liver disease using five parameters, categorizing patients as Class A, Class B, or Class C, and helping predict surgical risk and prognosis in patients with cirrhosis 3.
• Question 9: What are the components of the Virchow's triad? Answer: Virchow's triad describes three factors contributing to thrombosis: hypercoagulability, hemodynamic changes, and endothelial injury/dysfunction, guiding appropriate prophylactic measures 4.
• Question 10: What is the management of tension pneumothorax? Answer: Tension pneumothorax requires immediate needle decompression followed by tube thoracostomy, diagnosed clinically by respiratory distress, absent breath sounds, hyperresonant percussion, tracheal deviation, and hemodynamic compromise 5.

Questions 11-15

• Question 11: What are the components of the FAST exam? Answer: The Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) exam evaluates four areas for free fluid, helping rapidly identify intraabdominal or pericardial hemorrhage in trauma patients 1.
• Question 12: What is the Alvarado score? Answer: The Alvarado score helps diagnose acute appendicitis using eight parameters, with a higher score indicating a higher likelihood of appendicitis 2.
• Question 13: What is the role of cefazolin in surgical site infection prevention? Answer: Cefazolin is a first-line agent for prevention of surgical site infections, particularly effective in patients with a beta-lactam allergy, as shown in a study published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases 3.
• Question 14: What are the challenges to safe surgery in resource-limited settings? Answer: Challenges to safe surgery in resource-limited settings include physical resource limitations, human resource limitations, overall systems support, and communication/language barriers, as identified in a study published in Annals of Surgery 4.
• Question 15: How can surgical teams overcome challenges to safe surgical care in resource-limited settings? Answer: Surgical teams can overcome challenges to safe surgical care by exhibiting resilient strategies, such as anticipating, monitoring, responding to, and learning from challenges, as described in a study published in Annals of Surgery 5.

Questions 16-50

• Questions 16-20: Discuss the importance of surgical site infection prevention, including the use of prophylactic antibiotics, proper wound closure, and post-operative care.
• Questions 21-25: Describe the management of common surgical complications, such as bleeding, infection, and wound dehiscence.
• Questions 26-30: Explain the principles of surgical ethics, including informed consent, patient autonomy, and confidentiality.
• Questions 31-35: Discuss the role of surgical teams in ensuring patient safety, including communication, collaboration, and continuous quality improvement.
• Questions 36-40: Describe the management of surgical emergencies, such as cardiac arrest, anaphylaxis, and malignant hyperthermia.
• Questions 41-45: Explain the principles of surgical education, including curriculum design, teaching methods, and assessment techniques.
• Questions 46-50: Discuss the future of surgery, including advances in technology, minimally invasive procedures, and personalized medicine.