Iraqi Board Cardiology study guide
Iraqi Board Cardiology · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Iraqi Board in Cardiology (البورد العراقي في أمراض القلب) is a postgraduate specialist qualification awarded through the Iraqi Board of Medical Specializations. It is intended for physicians who have completed initial internal medicine training and are pursuing recognised specialist competence in cardiology, and it is the credential most Iraqi hospitals and training centres look for when appointing a cardiology specialist. The Iraqi Board Cardiology study guide has 12 sections and about 3,842 words.
01Basic sciences relevant to cardiology
This domain tests whether you can move from mechanism to bedside decision: why a drug changes mortality, why a murmur appears, why a channelopathy causes syncope. Questions are usually applied, not recall-only.
364 words, about 2 min02History, physical examination and clinical reasoning
The exam tests whether a focused history and bedside examination can generate a defensible pretest probability before any test is ordered. Vague answers about quality of life score poorly; precise symptom characterisation and named signs score well.
352 words, about 2 min03Ischaemic heart disease and acute coronary syndromes
This domain dominates clinical cardiology marks. It tests ECG interpretation under time pressure, reperfusion deadlines, antithrombotic choices and recognition of mechanical complications.
337 words, about 2 min04Heart failure, cardiomyopathies and myocardial disease
The exam tests classification, four-pillar therapy, device selection and recognition of specific cardiomyopathy phenotypes that change management. HFrEF: ejection fraction 40% or less; HFmrEF: 41-49%; HFpEF: 50% or more with structural or diastolic evidence.
315 words, about 2 min05Valvular heart disease
Questions test severity thresholds, the timing of intervention and the distinction between primary and secondary valve disease. Numerical thresholds matter.
366 words, about 2 min06Arrhythmias, conduction disorders and electrophysiology
The exam tests rhythm recognition, safe acute management and long-term decisions about anticoagulation, ablation and devices. Atrial fibrillation: use CHA2DS2-VASc; anticoagulate men with score 2 or more and women with 3 or more, and consider at 1 or 2 respectively.
304 words, about 2 min07Hypertension, dyslipidaemia and preventive cardiology
This domain rewards precise thresholds, correct screening for secondary causes and evidence-based lipid targets. It also tests when prevention does not work.
316 words, about 2 min08Congenital heart disease and adult congenital cardiology
The exam tests shunt physiology, duct-dependent lesions, timing of repair and the late complications that bring adults with congenital disease to clinic. Significant shunt when Qp/Qs exceeds 1.5 with low pulmonary vascular resistance.
290 words, about 1 min09Pericardial disease, pulmonary hypertension and right heart disease
This domain tests pattern recognition in pericardial syndromes and the haemodynamic definition and treatment of pulmonary hypertension. Acute pericarditis: pleuritic, positional chest pain; diffuse concave ST elevation with PR depression.
307 words, about 2 min10Cardiac imaging and diagnostic investigations
The exam tests whether you select the right test for the question and can extract the number that changes management. Rate 300 divided by large squares; assess axis, PR, QRS, QTc (Bazett), hypertrophy (Sokolow-Lyon, Cornell) and ischaemia.
294 words, about 1 min11Interventional cardiology and cardiac surgery indications
The exam tests whether you can select revascularisation or valve strategy for the right patient, and whether you understand the heart team concept. Indications: STEMI, high-risk NSTE-ACS, and stable angina with refractory symptoms or a large ischaemic burden.
298 words, about 1 min12Critical care cardiology, emergencies, ethics and patient safety
This domain tests resuscitation, shock physiology and professional conduct under pressure. Ethics questions are usually concrete scenarios about consent, capacity and escalation.
299 words, about 1 min