ABS Vascular Surgery case studies
ABS Vascular Surgery · Put your knowledge to work in context.
ABS vascular surgery certification is a voluntary board credential from the American Board of Surgery for surgeons who have completed an approved vascular surgery training pathway and want to demonstrate specialty knowledge beyond state licensure. Vascular surgery is defined by the ABS as the diagnosis and comprehensive, longitudinal management of arterial, venous, and lymphatic disorders, excluding intracranial and coronary arteries. The ABS Vascular Surgery case studies are 5 cases and about 4,975 words.
1A 6.2 cm Aneurysm With a Hostile Abdomen, a Hostile Neck and a Bad Heart
76-year-old woman, a former smoker with COPD on 2 L/min home oxygen, is referred after a CT done for renal colic found a 6.2 cm infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm; a scan 7 months earlier measured 5.3 cm. She has no abdominal or back pain and walks about 200 m before stopping.
998 words, about 5 min2Crescendo TIAs With an Occluded Contralateral Carotid and a Radiated Neck
70-year-old right-handed man is admitted 3 days after a 20-minute episode of left face and arm weakness that fully resolved, and 12 hours after a second, briefer episode. NIHSS is 1 for mild left hand clumsiness.
978 words, about 5 min3Nine Hours of Ischemia, a Motor Deficit, and a Potassium of 6.1
74-year-old woman with atrial fibrillation, not anticoagulated, presents 9 hours after sudden severe left leg pain. The left leg is cool and mottled to mid-thigh.
973 words, about 5 min4Phlegmasia After Caesarean Section With a Falling Platelet Count
48-year-old woman, 6 days after cesarean delivery, presents with a 2-day history of massive left leg swelling that has become dusky and agonizing. The limb is tensely swollen from groin to toes with cyanosis and petechiae over the thigh; the dorsalis pedis pulse is barely palpable and the ABI is 0.7.
1,002 words, about 5 min5A Stab Wound to the Femoral Triangle: Scan or Open?
26-year-old man arrives 25 minutes after a stab wound to the left femoral triangle. He is pale and agitated, with blood pressure 84/50 mmHg and heart rate 132.
1,024 words, about 5 min