ABTS Thoracic Surgery study plan

Map coronary anatomy to the territory each bypass target supplies, then state the preferred conduit for each target in a written table.

Summarize the indications for and physiologic consequences of cardiopulmonary bypass, including nonpulsatile flow, hemodilution, and inflammatory activation.

Build a severity-to-intervention table for aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation, mitral stenosis, and mitral regurgitation using current guideline thresholds.

Answer 50 ischemic and valvular questions under timed conditions and tag every miss by failure mode.

Explain the Stanford and DeBakey classification of aortic dissection and the operative decision for type A versus type B in a five-minute verbal walkthrough.

Describe circulatory arrest, the available cerebral perfusion strategies, and the neurologic risk of each, listing them from memory.

List absolute and relative contraindications to durable mechanical circulatory support and to heart transplantation, ranked by how often each appears as a distractor.

Outline the surgical lesion sets for atrial fibrillation and the indications for adding a maze procedure to another cardiac operation.

Work 60 questions on aortic, heart-failure, transplant, and arrhythmia topics; write the correct rationale from a primary source for each miss.

Rank the major complications of cardiac surgery by time of onset and state the first diagnostic step and first therapeutic step for each.

Draw the regional nodal map and stage groupings for non-small cell lung cancer from memory, then verify against a current staging manual.

Interpret pulmonary function and predicted postoperative values to choose extent of resection in three written vignettes.

Outline the indications and technique of mediastinal staging, including which patients should go straight to resection.

Complete 40 mixed questions split evenly between adult cardiac complications and lung cancer staging.

Compare the operative approaches to esophageal cancer by indication, anastomotic technique, and complication profile.

Classify the mediastinal compartments and give the differential, workup, and operative approach for the most common mass in each.

Explain the management of pleural space problems: the stages of empyema, malignant effusion, pneumothorax, and chylothorax.

Summarize chest wall resection and reconstruction principles, including indications for sternal resection.

Sit a 75-question mixed exam covering domains 1 and 2 and review every item, correct or not.

Explain tracheal and airway surgery: resection limits, reconstruction principles, and airway management after anastomosis.

Outline thoracic trauma management, including the indications for thoracotomy and the contemporary management of blunt aortic injury.

Describe the fetal circulation and its transition at birth, then use that sequence to explain shunt direction in the common congenital lesions.

Classify congenital defects by shunting physiology (left-to-right, right-to-left, mixing) and give a representative lesion for each.

Complete 50 questions split between general thoracic and congenital topics.

Summarize the repair and timing for ductal-dependent lesions, including transposition, tetralogy of Fallot, total anomalous pulmonary venous return, tricuspid atresia, and interrupted aortic arch.

Explain single-ventricle staging across the Norwood, Glenn, and Fontan steps, including the physiologic criteria required before each stage.

Compare the common septal and valve lesions by presentation, natural history, and timing of repair.

List the long-term sequelae after congenital repair that surface in adulthood, such as baffle obstruction, conduit stenosis, arrhythmia, and ventricular failure.

Work 60 congenital questions and annotate each answer with the underlying physiologic principle.

Re-sit every previously missed question across all three domains and explain each correct answer aloud without notes.

Write the perioperative pathway for an adult with congenital heart disease presenting for noncardiac surgery, covering endocarditis prophylaxis and shunt physiology.

Compare reoperative cardiac and reoperative thoracic surgery by risk, access strategy, and complication avoidance.

Summarize management principles shared across all three domains: anticoagulation, transfusion practice, and ventilator strategy.

Complete two full-length timed mock exams under exam conditions and score both.

Distill a personal two-page high-yield fact sheet strictly from the errors surfaced in the mocks.

Rehearse the ten highest-yield operative decisions aloud in under two minutes each.

Finalize a test-day plan covering pacing per question block, when to guess, and how to exit a hard stem.