ABA APPLIED Exam case studies
ABA APPLIED Exam · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The APPLIED Exam is the third and final examination in the American Board of Anesthesiology's initial certification sequence for anesthesiologists. As the ABA describes it, candidates "Earn your certification through a series of exams: BASIC, ADVANCED and APPLIED," with the APPLIED Exam following the BASIC and ADVANCED Exams. The ABA APPLIED Exam case studies are 5 cases and about 4,151 words.
1Refractory Hypotension After Spinal Anesthesia in a Patient on an SGLT2 Inhibitor
A 68-year-old man (BMI 31, eGFR 42 mL/min/1.73 m², HbA1c 8.4%) on empagliflozin, metformin, lisinopril, and carvedilol presents for an open inguinal hernia repair under spinal anesthesia. He has been NPO since midnight.
672 words, about 3 min2Massive Transfusion and Hyperkalemic Arrest in the Trauma Bay
A 24-year-old man arrives after a motorcycle crash with a grade V liver laceration. He is intubated, hypotensive (BP 72/40), and tachycardic (HR 138).
669 words, about 3 min3One-Lung Ventilation in a Patient with Severe Pulmonary Hypertension
A 55-year-old woman with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (mean PAP 52 mmHg on right heart catheterization, PVR 9 Wood units, RVSP 78 mmHg on echo, NYHA class III) presents for left lower lobectomy for a 2.8 cm adenocarcinoma. She is on tadalafil and ambrisentan; her 6-minute walk distance is 310 m and she desaturates to 86% on room air with exertion, improving to 92% on 2 L nasal cannula.
1,034 words, about 5 min4Emergence Delirium and Agitation in an Elderly Patient After General Anesthesia
An 82-year-old woman (weight 48 kg, MMSE 26/30, hypertension, mild CKD stage 3) undergoes urgent open reduction and internal fixation of a distal radius fracture under general anesthesia. She received midazolam 2 mg preoperatively, propofol induction, sevoflurane maintenance, fentanyl 150 mcg, and ondansetron 4 mg.
869 words, about 4 min5Difficult Airway in a Patient with a Large Anterior Mediastinal Mass
A 34-year-old man presents with 3 weeks of progressive dyspnea, facial swelling, and a new cough. CT shows a 12 cm anterior mediastinal mass compressing the trachea (narrowest diameter 7 mm) and both main bronchi, with associated SVC syndrome.
907 words, about 5 min