Iran Specialty Board - Cardiology study guide
Iran Specialty Board - Cardiology · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Iran Specialty Board Examination in Cardiology (برد تخصصی قلب و عروق) is the national summative assessment that internal medicine graduates must pass to be recognised as cardiology specialists in the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is administered under the authority of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, and successful candidates proceed to independent specialist practice and to subspecialty fellowships such as interventional cardiology and electrophysiology. The Iran Specialty Board - Cardiology study guide has 12 sections and about 4,322 words.
01Coronary Artery Disease and Acute Coronary Syndromes
This domain carries a large share of the written paper and of the vignette-based items. The exam tests reperfusion timing, NSTE-ACS risk stratification, antithrombotic selection, and secondary-prevention thresholds rather than rote lists of risk factors.
444 words, about 2 min02Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathies
Items in this domain test phenotype classification by ejection fraction, the four-pillar drug regimen, device indications tied to LVEF and QRS morphology, and recognition of infiltrative and inherited cardiomyopathies that imitate common heart failure. HFrEF: LVEF 40% or less.
391 words, about 2 min03Valvular Heart Disease
The exam tests severity thresholds, the exact point at which symptoms or ventricular dimensions trigger surgery, and the choice between surgical and transcatheter approaches. Rheumatic mitral disease remains common in Iranian practice, so mitral stenosis items appear frequently.
396 words, about 2 min04Arrhythmias and Electrophysiology
This domain tests rhythm recognition under time pressure, acute management algorithms, anticoagulation decisions in atrial fibrillation, and the inherited channelopathies that cause sudden death in structurally normal hearts. Unstable tachycardia with a pulse: synchronised cardioversion.
364 words, about 2 min05Hypertension and Vascular Disease
The exam tests diagnostic thresholds, secondary-cause work-up in young or resistant patients, the pharmacology of hypertensive emergencies, and the vascular diseases that present with hypertension or limb symptoms. Office threshold is 140/90 mmHg in European and Iranian practice; ambulatory 24-hour average 130/80 or more and home 135/85 or more are diagnostic.
368 words, about 2 min06Congenital Heart Disease and Pediatric Cardiology
Items test murmur localisation, the physiology of cyanotic lesions, duct-dependent circulations, and Kawasaki disease, which is the most frequently examined acquired paediatric cardiac condition. VSD: harsh holosystolic murmur at the left lower sternal border, often with a thrill.
389 words, about 2 min07Pericardial and Myocardial Disease
Items test the distinction between pericarditis and infarction, the bedside recognition of tamponade, the haemodynamics of constriction, and the modern work-up of myocarditis with cardiac magnetic resonance. Diagnostic triad: pleuritic chest pain relieved by sitting forward, pericardial friction rub, and diffuse ST elevation with PR depression.
320 words, about 2 min08Preventive Cardiology and Cardiovascular Risk Factors
The exam tests risk-score interpretation, statin intensity and add-on therapy, lipid targets by risk category, and the correct place of aspirin and new antidiabetic agents in prevention. Use a validated score (SCORE2 or the pooled cohort equations) to classify risk; diabetes, familial hypercholesterolaemia, and established ASCVD automatically place the patient in a high or very high category.
342 words, about 2 min09Cardiovascular Imaging and Diagnostic Testing
Items probe test selection for a given pretest probability, recognition of artefacts and limitations, and the specific diagnostic signatures of echocardiography, CT, and magnetic resonance. Low pretest probability: coronary CT angiography or calcium scoring; a calcium score of zero carries a very low event rate.
335 words, about 2 min10Intensive Cardiac Care and Emergency Cardiology
The exam tests resuscitation sequences, shock management, and the emergency treatment of pulmonary oedema, pulmonary embolism, and right ventricular infarction, always in a time-critical format. VF or pulseless VT: immediate defibrillation, CPR, epinephrine every 3-5 minutes, amiodarone or lidocaine after the third shock.
294 words, about 1 min11Cardiac Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Items test mechanism, contraindication, and clinically important interaction rather than simple drug lists; expect questions that embed a second drug or a comorbidity to change the answer. Beta-blockers: cardioselective agents are safer in bronchospasm; intrinsic sympathomimetic activity is undesirable after infarction; avoid in cocaine toxicity and decompensated heart failure.
314 words, about 2 min12Basic Cardiovascular Sciences and Research Methodology
This domain tests physiological principles that explain clinical findings and the biostatistics needed to interpret trial results and diagnostic studies; items reward understanding rather than formula recall. Cardiac action potential: phase 0 sodium influx, phase 1 transient potassium efflux, phase 2 L-type calcium influx, phase 3 potassium efflux, phase 4 resting potential; the SA node uses the funny current for spontaneous depolarisation.
365 words, about 2 min