MMDC Medical Licensing Exam flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

CURB-65

Pneumonia severity score using confusion, urea, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and age ≥65; score ≥2 generally warrants inpatient management.

Anion gap

Calculated as sodium minus chloride minus bicarbonate; elevated values suggest ketoacidosis, lactic acidosis, renal failure, or toxin ingestion.

Burch-Wartofsky score

Clinical scoring tool for thyroid storm that weights fever, tachycardia, CNS symptoms, gastrointestinal signs, and precipitating factors.

Damage-control surgery

Staged surgical approach that prioritizes control of hemorrhage and contamination, temporary closure, and later definitive repair after physiologic stabilization.

Alvarado score

Clinical score for appendicitis combining migration of pain, anorexia, nausea, tenderness, rebound, fever, and leukocytosis; higher scores support operative management.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy

Procedure identifying the first draining lymph node to stage regional metastasis, commonly used in clinically node-negative breast cancer and melanoma.

Magnesium sulfate in eclampsia

Anticonvulsant used to prevent and treat eclamptic seizures; monitor for respiratory depression and loss of deep tendon reflexes.

Postpartum hemorrhage causes

The four T's: tone (uterine atony), trauma, tissue (retained placenta), and thrombin (coagulopathy); atony is the most common.

Late decelerations

Fetal heart rate decelerations that begin after the contraction peak and recover after it ends, indicating uteroplacental insufficiency and fetal hypoxia.

Kawasaki disease criteria

Fever ≥5 days plus conjunctivitis, mucositis, rash, extremity changes, and cervical lymphadenopathy; treated with IVIG and aspirin to prevent coronary aneurysms.

Pediatric weight formula

For ages 1-5 years, weight in kg approximates 2 × (age in years + 5); useful for rapid drug dosing in emergencies.

Simple febrile seizure

Generalized seizure lasting under 15 minutes in a child 6 months to 5 years with fever, without recurrence in 24 hours; no long-term anticonvulsants needed.

Serotonin syndrome

Toxin-induced triad of mental status change, autonomic instability, and neuromuscular hyperactivity (clonus, hyperreflexia) after serotonergic drugs; treat by stopping the agent.

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome

Life-threatening reaction to dopamine antagonists with rigidity, fever, altered mentation, and elevated creatine kinase; treat with dantrolene or bromocriptine and supportive care.

Delirium versus dementia

Delirium is acute, fluctuating inattention with altered awareness and a medical cause; dementia is chronic, progressive cognitive decline without acute fluctuation.

Warfarin mechanism

Inhibits vitamin K epoxide reductase, reducing synthesis of factors II, VII, IX, and X; monitored by INR and reversed with vitamin K and prothrombin complex concentrate.

Aminoglycoside toxicity

Bactericidal 30S ribosomal binders that cause nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity; require therapeutic drug monitoring of trough levels.

Digoxin toxicity

Sodium-potassium ATPase inhibition causing nausea, visual changes, and arrhythmias; risk rises with hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, and renal impairment.

Metformin contraindication

Contraindicated in severe renal impairment (eGFR <30) and acute decompensated states because of increased risk of lactic acidosis.

Reversible cell injury

Early injury marked by cellular swelling and fatty change; removal of the stimulus allows recovery without cell death.

Nephritic syndrome

Glomerular inflammation causing hematuria, red cell casts, hypertension, and oliguria; contrast with nephrotic syndrome's heavy proteinuria and edema.

Cirrhosis pathology

Bridging fibrosis with regenerative nodules causing portal hypertension, varices, ascites, and hepatic encephalopathy.

Informed consent elements

Requires patient capacity, disclosure of material risks and alternatives, comprehension, and voluntary agreement; documented before non-emergency procedures.

Decision-making capacity

Clinical, task-specific ability to understand, appreciate, reason about, and communicate a choice; distinct from legal competence determined by courts.

Mandatory reporting

Legal duty to report suspected child abuse, elder abuse, and specified communicable diseases; overrides confidentiality when statutes require it.

Sensitivity formula

True positives divided by true positives plus false negatives; a highly sensitive test is useful to rule out disease when negative.

Positive predictive value

Proportion of positive test results that are true positives; depends on disease prevalence, unlike sensitivity and specificity.

Herd immunity threshold

Proportion of immune individuals needed to interrupt transmission, determined by the basic reproduction number; measles requires over 90-95% coverage.

Hand hygiene

The single most effective measure to prevent healthcare-associated infection; performed before and after every patient contact and after body fluid exposure.

SBAR handover

Structured communication using situation, background, assessment, and recommendation to reduce errors during transitions of care.

Surgical safety checklist

Pre-procedure verification of patient identity, site, procedure, allergies, consent, and antibiotic timing to prevent wrong-site surgery and adverse events.

Glasgow Coma Scale

Score summing eye (1-4), verbal (1-5), and motor (1-6) responses; total ≤8 indicates severe impairment and prompts airway assessment.