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The inevitable cardiac cycle graph that i will get on Step 1, exactly how do they test your knowledge here?? I'm sure they won't ask me where is the 1st heart sound...gotta be harder than that?? 😀
cardiac cycle
- Thread starter Cristagali
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Thats a classical q! - They can ask Anywhere on that cycle.
On either the classic one with the left ventricular pressure , ventricular volume, aortic pressure, left atrial pressure, jugular venous pulse, etc.
Or they can ask about the one thats kind of shaped like a circle with the
ventricular volume on the x axis and presure on the y axis.
But as Idio has said to me try to know every nitty picky bit of info for that particular question. Id say dont memorize it learn it. Its not that hard to learn those two graphs. But you have to stare and study them for a while.
Usually that q is straight forward. Also try to extrapolate from those graphs and imagine what happens with mitral stenosis, and regurg and aortic stenosis and regurg. Hope this helps.
On either the classic one with the left ventricular pressure , ventricular volume, aortic pressure, left atrial pressure, jugular venous pulse, etc.
Or they can ask about the one thats kind of shaped like a circle with the
ventricular volume on the x axis and presure on the y axis.
But as Idio has said to me try to know every nitty picky bit of info for that particular question. Id say dont memorize it learn it. Its not that hard to learn those two graphs. But you have to stare and study them for a while.
Usually that q is straight forward. Also try to extrapolate from those graphs and imagine what happens with mitral stenosis, and regurg and aortic stenosis and regurg. Hope this helps.
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OK, FA has them both on the same page and I'll add whatever other facts come along from my questions. it's crazy, I KNOW I'll get that question and I just can't think what they can throw at me...Thanks 😎
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try www.cvphysiology.com it explains the graphs pretty well. The key is understadng these things not memorizing. They'll show you a nl and 5 variants and ask which way does it move in AS, AI, MR, decr preload, incr afterload, etc...
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mjl1717 said:
I have neither heard nor given better advice than this. As long as you understand what is going on with the heart at each step (not terribly difficult), you can answer the question. What the USMLE tends to do is take a fairly simple concept and couch it in terms that make it sound ridiculous. It is usually "just as easy as it seems" once you get through the language. This applies very well to this concept, as they can ask you about, say, when the coronary pressure is highest and even though you know the coronaries fill in diastole, you might be inclined to second-guess yourself and assume that coronary pressure is highest during systole, etc....it will test a concept you know, in a way that you are not prepared for. I didnt think the test would be able to trip me up, but they managed to do it a few times. Good luck.
