Arab Board Surgery Final Written study plan
Arab Board Surgery Final Written · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Basic Principles of Surgery and Perioperative Care (wound healing, haemostasis, fluid/electrolyte and nutritional support, shock, surgical infection, anaesthesia-related considerations, preoperative assessment and postoperative complications)
Explain the phases of wound healing and classify wound closure by intention, listing the systemic and local factors that impair healing
Apply a structured preoperative risk assessment (ASA grade, revised cardiac risk index, frailty, functional capacity) to three written patient vignettes and justify each optimisation step
Calculate maintenance and replacement fluid and electrolyte requirements for a postoperative patient with ileus, and state the triggers for initiating parenteral nutrition
Differentiate hypovolaemic, cardiogenic, distributive and obstructive shock by haemodynamic profile, and state the first-line resuscitation for each
Summarise the definitions of surgical site infection and the evidence for timing, choice and duration of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis
Your checkpoint
A single-page revision table mapping each shock state and each wound-healing phase to its clinical signs, first-line management and one common examination trap
Gastrointestinal Surgery (oesophagus, stomach and duodenum, small bowel, appendix, colon, rectum and anus, abdominal wall and hernia, benign anorectal disease)
Outline the diagnostic pathway for oesophageal and gastric carcinoma by stage, and justify the use of neoadjuvant therapy before resection
Compare the indications, mechanism and late complications of the common gastric and bariatric operations
Distinguish perforated peptic ulcer from acute pancreatitis at first assessment and state the immediate management of each
Describe the aetiology, investigation sequence and operative thresholds for small bowel obstruction and acute appendicitis in adults
Your checkpoint
A hand-drawn decision tree covering upper gastrointestinal bleeding, perforated viscus and small bowel obstruction, with the single next-best investigation named at every node
Gastrointestinal Surgery (oesophagus, stomach and duodenum, small bowel, appendix, colon, rectum and anus, abdominal wall and hernia, benign anorectal disease)
Stage colorectal cancer using TNM and match each stage to the appropriate surgical and adjuvant options
Explain the principles of tension-free mesh herniorrhaphy and state the situations in which mesh placement is contraindicated
Differentiate haemorrhoids, anal fissure, fistula-in-ano and perianal abscess, and match each to its definitive treatment
Apply damage-control principles to the operative management of an acute abdomen with faecal peritonitis
Your checkpoint
A completed 40-item mixed question set on gastrointestinal surgery, accompanied by a written error log recording the sub-topic and correct reasoning for every incorrect answer
Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery (liver, biliary tree, pancreas, spleen, portal hypertension)
Classify the presentations of gallstone disease and select the correct timing and operative approach for cholecystectomy in each
Interpret liver function tests and apply Child-Pugh and MELD scoring to stratify operative risk in a cirrhotic patient
Describe resectability assessment and staging for pancreatic and periampullary tumours
Outline the time-critical management of acute variceal bleeding in portal hypertension, including vasoactive therapy, endoscopic control and shunt options
State the indications for splenectomy and the required vaccination and antibiotic prophylaxis schedule
Your checkpoint
A written algorithm for hepatobiliary and pancreatic emergencies (acute cholecystitis, ascending cholangitis, gallstone pancreatitis, variceal haemorrhage) with the time-critical step highlighted at each stage
Trauma and Emergency Surgery (initial assessment and resuscitation, torso and extremity trauma, damage control, acute abdomen, burns) & Critical Care and Surgical Infection (sepsis, organ support, antibiotic stewardship, nosocomial infection, nutrition in the critically ill)
Perform a structured primary survey and state the immediate resuscitative priority for each life-threatening injury identified
Apply damage-control surgery principles and explain the lethal triad and its correction
Estimate burn surface area and calculate fluid resuscitation using a standard formula, and identify the indications for escharotomy and burn-centre referral
Define sepsis and septic shock using current consensus criteria and outline the immediate management bundle
Justify empirical antibiotic choice and subsequent de-escalation for common surgical infections using stewardship principles
Your checkpoint
Two written 10-minute trauma scenarios worked through in full: primary survey findings, immediate interventions and disposition, each completed without notes
Breast and Endocrine Surgery (thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, breast benign and malignant disease) & Vascular Surgery (arterial occlusive and aneurysmal disease, venous and lymphatic disorders, vascular access, diabetic foot)
Evaluate a thyroid nodule using ultrasound risk stratification and fine-needle aspiration, and outline the operative options for differentiated thyroid cancer
Distinguish primary from tertiary hyperparathyroidism on biochemical testing and state when parathyroidectomy is indicated
Outline the workup of an adrenal incidentaloma and identify the lesions that require surgery
Construct a triple-assessment pathway for a symptomatic breast lump and describe the surgical options for early breast cancer
Assess critical limb ischaemia and the diabetic foot, differentiating revascularisation strategies and the indications for amputation
Your checkpoint
A comparison grid of five vascular pathologies (abdominal aortic aneurysm, acute limb ischaemia, chronic limb-threatening ischaemia, varicose veins, vascular access) giving presentation, key investigation, definitive management and a common pitfall
Surgical Oncology (principles of tumour biology, staging, multidisciplinary management, common solid tumours, palliative care) & Paediatric Surgery (neonatal surgical emergencies, congenital anomalies, common paediatric surgical conditions)
Explain the principles of tumour staging and the role of the multidisciplinary team in planning treatment for a solid tumour
Outline the oncological principles of resection (margin status, lymphadenectomy, sentinel node biopsy) and the rationale for neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy
Describe a palliative approach to pain, malignant bowel obstruction and ascites in advanced cancer
Differentiate intussusception, malrotation with volvulus and incarcerated hernia in children by presentation and time frame to theatre
Outline initial resuscitation and operative strategy for necrotising enterocolitis and hypertrophic pyloric stenosis
Your checkpoint
A 300-word multidisciplinary-team case presentation for one adult solid tumour and one paediatric surgical emergency, each ending with a single recommended treatment plan
Allied Surgical Specialties (urology, neurosurgery, orthopaedics and plastic surgery as encountered by the general surgeon, including transplantation principles)
Recognise urological emergencies (obstructive uropathy, testicular torsion, Fournier's gangrene) and state immediate management for each
Identify the operative indications in common orthopaedic and neurosurgical presentations that the general surgeon must recognise and refer
Explain the principles of transplantation: brainstem death certification, organ preservation, immunosuppression and patterns of rejection
Complete two full-length mock examinations under timed conditions and review every incorrect response
Your checkpoint
A personal weak-list of 20 facts distilled from mock examination errors, each rewritten as a one-line recall prompt for the final week of revision
Milestones
Week 2: Explain aloud, without notes, the immediate management of a perforated viscus, upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage and small bowel obstruction; any hesitation is logged as a revision item
Week 4: Score at least 65% on a timed 60-item mixed paper covering domains 1 to 3, with every incorrect answer tagged to its sub-topic
Week 6: Deliver the thyroid, breast and vascular comparison grids to a study partner and answer 10 rapid-fire questions from them with at least 8 correct
Week 8: Score at least 70% on the second full-length mock examination and confirm that every item on the weak-list has been reviewed at least twice