Iraqi Board Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery study plan

Map the adult acquired cardiac domain into its four sub-areas (coronary, valvular, aortic, pericardial) and allocate revision time proportional to their weight within the 22% share

Explain the indications, conduits, and early versus delayed complications of coronary artery bypass grafting, including graft failure mechanisms and reintervention triggers

Derive the haemodynamic consequences of aortic and mitral valve lesions and match each to the correct operative timing criteria

List the classification, imaging features, and operative thresholds for acute aortic syndromes (type A and type B dissection, intramural haematoma, penetrating ulcer)

Summarise the causes, tamponade physiology, and surgical versus percutaneous drainage decisions in pericardial disease

Work through the operative steps of aortic valve replacement, mitral repair versus replacement, and ascending aortic replacement, stating the rationale for each step

Relate cardiopulmonary bypass physiology, cardioplegia strategies, and myocardial protection to postoperative low cardiac output and arrhythmia

Apply basic pharmacology of inotropes, vasopressors, heparin/protamine, and antiplatelet bridging to typical adult cardiac scenarios

Interpret mixed venous saturation, lactate trends, and echocardiographic filling in the postoperative cardiac patient

Classify lung resections (wedge, segmentectomy, lobectomy, pneumonectomy) and justify each by tumour size, location, and pulmonary reserve

Interpret pulmonary function tests and calculate predicted postoperative lung function to judge operability

Differentiate the management pathways of spontaneous pneumothorax, empyema, haemothorax, and malignant pleural effusion

Describe chest wall resection and reconstruction principles and diaphragm plication or repair indications

Outline the assessment and staged management of chest trauma, including flail chest and retained haemothorax

Organise congenital lesions by shunt physiology (left-to-right, right-to-left, mixing) and predict the clinical presentation of each

Explain the staged palliation pathway for single-ventricle physiology from neonatal shunt to Fontan completion, including the failure modes at each stage

Compare timing and technique for closure of atrial and ventricular septal defects and patent ductus arteriosus

Describe the duct-dependent circulation and the initial prostaglandin and septostomy decisions in critical neonates

Recognise the residual and late complications that require reoperation after congenital repair

Classify peripheral arterial disease by symptoms and imaging, and select between open bypass, endovascular intervention, and hybrid repair

State the indications, sizing rules, and surveillance requirements for abdominal and thoracic aortic endografts

Describe the workup and operative options for carotid stenosis, including the evidence base for endarterectomy versus stenting

Outline the management of acute limb ischaemia, vascular trauma, and dialysis access failure

Explain venous disease assessment and the indications for varicose vein intervention and inferior vena cava filters

Apply TNM staging and multidisciplinary decision-making to non-small cell and small cell lung cancer, including the role of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy

Describe the workup and surgical principles for oesophageal cancer, mediastinal masses, and tracheal resection

Differentiate the anterior, middle, and posterior mediastinal compartments by their most likely pathology

Interpret chest radiograph, CT, PET-CT, and endobronchial ultrasound findings in thoracic staging

Read echocardiography and cardiac catheterisation data well enough to answer haemodynamic questions on valve area, gradients, and shunt fractions

Manage the postoperative thoracic patient on ventilation, including criteria for extubation, non-invasive support, and tracheostomy

Outline mechanical circulatory support options (IABP, ECMO configurations, ventricular assist devices) with their indications and major complications

Apply infection control and patient safety practices: antibiotic prophylaxis timing, surgical site infection bundles, and the WHO surgical safety checklist

Select appropriate grafts and materials for vascular and cardiac reconstruction and state their failure modes

Explain the recognition and management of common postoperative crises: bleeding, tamponade, arrhythmia, and respiratory failure

Appraise study design, bias, and the meaning of confidence intervals and p-values in surgical literature

Apply the principles of informed consent, capacity, confidentiality, and conflict of interest to surgical scenarios

Re-run the highest-yield adult cardiac and thoracic topics through timed mixed question sets and correct every error

Consolidate a personal list of the 40 facts most often missed during the plan and rehearse them to recall

Simulate exam conditions with two full-length timed sessions and review pacing and question strategy