ABA Anesthesiology case studies
ABA Anesthesiology · Put your knowledge to work in context.
Board certification in anesthesiology is a process, not a single sitting. The American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) structures initial certification as a series of three examinations - BASIC, ADVANCED and APPLIED - that a physician moves through on the way from residency training toward independent practice. The ABA Anesthesiology case studies are 5 cases and about 4,172 words.
1Severe Aortic Stenosis and a Fractured Hip at 07:00
An 84-year-old woman (62 kg, 158 cm) is admitted at 22:00 after a fall and is scheduled for cephalomedullary nailing of a displaced intertrochanteric femur fracture. Echocardiography three months ago showed severe aortic stenosis: valve area 0.7 cm², mean gradient 42 mmHg, ejection fraction 55%.
820 words, about 4 min2Buprenorphine and Acute Surgical Pain
A 34-year-old man (BMI 31) with opioid use disorder in remission for six years takes buprenorphine–naloxone 8/2 mg twice daily; his last dose was ten hours ago. He fell while cycling and has a closed, displaced distal radius fracture.
800 words, about 4 min3Epidural, Esophagectomy, and a Stiff Chest on Day Three
A 63-year-old man (82 kg, 178 cm) is on day three after an Ivor–Lewis esophagectomy and was reintubated yesterday for aspiration. Current settings: volume control, tidal volume 420 mL, PEEP 10 cmH₂O, FiO₂ 0.60, respiratory rate 24.
825 words, about 4 min4Rib Fractures, Renal Impairment, and a Dose of Enoxaparin
A 76-year-old woman (58 kg) is admitted after a fall with fractures of the left 4th through 9th ribs, a flail segment, and an undrained hemothorax. She is on day one of enoxaparin 40 mg subcutaneously daily, last given eight hours ago.
863 words, about 4 min5Six Naloxone Reversals in Eight Weeks
At a 400-bed community hospital, a review of anesthesia and PACU records identified six episodes in eight weeks in which a patient was found unresponsive or had a POSS score of 0 after general anesthesia and received naloxone. In the preceding two years the department averaged about one such event every eight weeks.
864 words, about 4 min