ABP Pediatric Cardiology study plan
ABP Pediatric Cardiology · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Congenital Heart Disease (anatomy, pathophysiology, natural history, and surgical/interventional management)
Classify the major congenital lesions by shunt direction, ductal dependency, and ventricular volume versus pressure loading, stating the physiologic consequence of each.
Sequence natural history and repair timing for ventricular septal defect, tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the great arteries, coarctation, and atrioventricular septal defect.
Compare surgical versus transcatheter options for secundum atrial septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, and pulmonary valve stenosis, listing the anatomic selection criteria for each approach.
Predict the sequelae of an unrepaired left-to-right shunt and of chronic cyanosis, including Eisenmenger physiology and its implications for repair candidacy.
Your checkpoint
A one-page lesion matrix covering 15 lesions with columns for shunt physiology, ductal dependency, repair timing, and residual-lesion risk, written from memory first and then corrected against a reference text with every correction annotated in a different color.
Congenital Heart Disease (anatomy, pathophysiology, natural history, and surgical/interventional management) & Diagnostic Imaging, Echocardiography, and Cardiac Catheterization/Hemodynamics
Derive Qp/Qs, indexed pulmonary and systemic blood flow, and pulmonary vascular resistance from raw saturation and pressure data without relying on software.
Match standard echocardiographic windows and views to the structures they display best, and assemble a segmental analysis sequence for a complex lesion.
Integrate echocardiographic and catheterization findings into one unified hemodynamic summary for three complex lesions.
Interpret step-up in oxygen saturation and pressure tracings to localize the level of an intracardiac shunt.
Your checkpoint
A worked problem set of 10 catheterization cases, each supplied with saturations and pressures in the prompt, solved for Qp/Qs and resistance and scored against an answer key, with every missed item re-derived by hand.
Cardiac Intensive Care, Perioperative Management, and Mechanical Circulatory Support
Formulate a stepwise bedside sequence for low cardiac output syndrome in the first 24 hours after cardiopulmonary bypass, ordering assessment, pharmacologic support, and escalation.
Differentiate indications, contraindications, and weaning criteria for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation versus ventricular assist support in a pediatric patient.
Construct a perioperative plan for pulmonary hypertensive crisis covering ventilator strategy, sedation, and pulmonary vasodilator selection.
Prioritize management of postoperative arrhythmia, bleeding, and tamponade in the cardiac intensive care unit.
Your checkpoint
A single-page bedside algorithm for post-bypass low cardiac output (assess, intervene, escalate) plus a 10-item self-quiz on mechanical circulatory support indications, both filed with answers hidden for later retrieval practice.
Arrhythmias and Electrophysiology (diagnosis, antiarrhythmic therapy, ablation, device therapy)
Distinguish sinus rhythm, the mechanisms of supraventricular tachycardia, and ventricular arrhythmias on a 12-lead ECG using rate, axis, and the P-QRS relationship.
Select first-line and second-line antiarrhythmic agents for supraventricular tachycardia, atrial flutter, and ventricular tachycardia while accounting for proarrhythmia risk and hemodynamic stability.
State the indications, expected success rates, and complications of catheter ablation versus device therapy in the pediatric patient.
Interpret pacemaker and implantable defibrillator interrogation parameters for sensing, capture, and inappropriate therapy.
Your checkpoint
A 20-strip ECG interpretation log, each entry naming the mechanism and committing to a management plan before verification against reference criteria, with an error tally by mechanism category.
Heart Failure, Cardiomyopathy, and Cardiac Transplantation
Differentiate dilated, hypertrophic, restrictive, and arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy by echocardiographic and clinical features.
Apply heart failure staging and medical therapy escalation, stating the thresholds at which device or mechanical support becomes indicated.
Outline indications, immunosuppression principles, and rejection surveillance after pediatric heart transplantation.
Recognize the presentations of myocarditis and choose the appropriate diagnostic testing and level of circulatory support.
Your checkpoint
A comparison table of the four cardiomyopathy phenotypes with diagnostic criteria, therapy, and transplant referral triggers, self-tested by covering one column at a time and reciting it aloud.
Pulmonary Hypertension and Pulmonary Vascular Disease
Explain the current hemodynamic definition of pulmonary hypertension and assign pediatric cases to the correct clinical group.
Interpret vasoreactivity testing and decide who is a candidate for calcium channel blockade versus pulmonary vasodilator therapy.
Describe when pulmonary vascular disease reverses after shunt closure and when it persists, and outline the Eisenmenger management pathway.
Identify triggers and acute therapy for pulmonary hypertensive crisis.
Your checkpoint
Written answers to three pulmonary hypertension vignettes assigning group, interpreting vasoreactivity, and committing to a drug plan, each completed under a 20-minute timer and then graded against a reference.
Acquired and Inflammatory Heart Disease (Kawasaki disease, myocarditis, rheumatic disease, pericardial disease) & Fetal and Neonatal Cardiology, including prenatal diagnosis and transitional circulation
Distinguish Kawasaki disease from other febrile exanthems and apply immunoglobulin and adjunct therapy criteria with coronary risk stratification.
Compare acute rheumatic fever, viral myocarditis, and pericarditis by diagnostic criteria, ancillary testing, and management.
Interpret standard fetal echocardiographic views and identify the lesions detectable at the 18 to 22 week screening scan.
Explain transitional circulation and predict which congenital lesions decompensate as the ductus arteriosus constricts.
Your checkpoint
A one-page ductal-dependent lesion checklist for the fetal and neonatal period plus a Kawasaki treatment algorithm card, both recited aloud from memory within five minutes without prompts.
Preventive Cardiology, Cardiovascular Genetics, and Syndromic/Heritable Cardiovascular Disease & Core Competencies: Professionalism, Communication, Systems-Based Practice, Quality Improvement, and Scholarship
Apply cardiovascular genetic inheritance patterns and screening recommendations for familial hypercholesterolemia, Marfan syndrome, and inherited arrhythmia syndromes.
Design a quality improvement project with a measurable aim, a driver diagram, and a completed plan-do-study-act cycle.
Demonstrate a structured communication approach for delivering a new diagnosis to a family and for a structured handoff in the cardiac intensive care unit.
Complete a timed mixed-domain review and convert every missed item into a spaced-repetition card with a written rationale.
Your checkpoint
A full-length timed practice examination scored and accompanied by an error-analysis sheet categorizing each miss by domain and by cause (knowledge gap, misread, or reasoning error), plus a 30-item spaced-repetition list for continued review.
Milestones
Week 2: Without notes, explain why a Qp/Qs above 2 indicates a significant shunt and compute Qp/Qs from a supplied set of saturations in under three minutes with the correct answer.
Week 4: Score at least 80 percent on the self-review of the 20-strip ECG log and correctly state mechanism plus first-line drug for at least 8 of 10 supraventricular tachycardia and flutter strips.
Week 6: Correctly classify at least 8 of 10 mixed vignettes drawn from domains 1 through 5 into the proper diagnostic group and defend one management step for each.
Week 8: Achieve at least 70 percent overall on the timed practice examination with no single domain score below 60 percent, and file the completed error-analysis sheet.