Cardiology Boards ABIM Test Questions
and Answers Verified Solutions Latest
Update 2026/2027
Question:
Gene nkx2.5 most associated with?
Answer:
autosomal dominant ASD and AV block (2 things, in the middle)
Question:
Heart defect with holt Oran? Gene?
Answer:
ASD; tbx5 (Holt! He's got tb! and it will progress!)
Progressive heart block
Question:
Constrictive vs restrictive physiology
Answer:
* Constrictive =
equalization of pressures in all 4 chambers (consistent) (consistent pressures, changes with
respiration, bounce (C looks like a ball)
* RVEDP=lvedp
* Ra = wedge
*septal bounce
*marked changes in mitral velocity with inspiration and expiration
Restrictive: left sided pressures higher than right sided pressures. Large atria. LVEDP>/=5 above
RVEDP, LVEDP = LA and > RA pressure and RVEDP. RVSP >50 (constrictive < 50 mmHg).
PVR higher in restrictive.
Systolic pressure should be mostly normal in both though.
,Question:
What defect does retinoic acid cause?
Answer:
TOF (taussig had bad acne)
Question:
What drugs cause malignant hyperthermia?
Mechanism?
Answer:
succinylcholine (Sucs is depolarizing, so causes this, other neuromuscular blockers like roc and vec
are non-depolarizing so do not)
Also inhaled anesthetics (fluoranes) the flu succs and causes fever
Block magnesium regulatory effect on SR leading to increased intracellular calcium
Question:
Balloon sizes for pulmonary vs aortic valves vs mitral vs tricuspid.
Pulmonary artery?
Answer:
tricuspid = 150%, pulmonary (120% to start, 170% if double balloon), mitral ((height in
cm/10)+10), and aortic valve (80-90% to start stop at 100%)
Pulmonary artery 2.5-3.5 diameter of stenosis, but no more than 2X normal diameter
Go down by 10's starting at 150
Question:
Gene for alagilles?
Cardiac and facial findings?
Answer:
Jag 1 (ag is in alagilles)
Triangular face, prominent forehead
TOF, branch PS
Question:
,How do you know if wide complex on EP study?
Answer:
Takes up a whole box
Question:
How do you know rate on EP study?
Answer:
300, 150, 100, 75, 60, 50 x 2
Question:
Right vs left sided pathway?
Answer:
Once in tachycardia, look at CS catheter and see where earliest depolarization is (1,2 is leftward) so
if 1,2 depolarizes earlier it is left sided
Question:
EP catheter names and locations
HBE -
HRA -
His:
CS:
CS prox:
CS distal:
Answer:
HBE - his bundle electrogram
HRA - high right atrium
His: anterior (his junk is anterior)
CS: posterior
CS prox: R
CS distal: L
Question:
, Cardiac and dysmorphic features of noonan syndrome, gene
What other disease has similar feature and same gene?
Answer:
Multi- level PS (not ammenable to cath) and HCM. Short, webbed neck. Male turners. PTPN11
mutation in RAS/MAP pathway. Autosomal dominant.
Need some blue raz and a map in the high noon desert. PTP is multi level P's and N for noonan
LEOPARD syndrome
Question:
What is the most common coronary anomaly with D-TGA? TOF?
Answer:
TGA: Circ off of the right - a circling problem
TOF: LAD off the right - an anterior problem
Question:
Most patients with TOF have fibrous continuity between which valves?
Answer:
Aortic and tricuspid
Question:
Best anatomic markers of the atria?
Answer:
Valve of fossa ovalis for left (septum primum) [because the PFO is designed to dump to the left],
limbus of fossa ovalis of right (septum secundum), followed by ostia of IVC for right atrium.
Valve - left; also see septum premium attachments
Limb - right (right handed and 2 of them), also see septum secundum attachments
Question:
Most reliable marker for RV? Tricuspid valve?
Answer:
and Answers Verified Solutions Latest
Update 2026/2027
Question:
Gene nkx2.5 most associated with?
Answer:
autosomal dominant ASD and AV block (2 things, in the middle)
Question:
Heart defect with holt Oran? Gene?
Answer:
ASD; tbx5 (Holt! He's got tb! and it will progress!)
Progressive heart block
Question:
Constrictive vs restrictive physiology
Answer:
* Constrictive =
equalization of pressures in all 4 chambers (consistent) (consistent pressures, changes with
respiration, bounce (C looks like a ball)
* RVEDP=lvedp
* Ra = wedge
*septal bounce
*marked changes in mitral velocity with inspiration and expiration
Restrictive: left sided pressures higher than right sided pressures. Large atria. LVEDP>/=5 above
RVEDP, LVEDP = LA and > RA pressure and RVEDP. RVSP >50 (constrictive < 50 mmHg).
PVR higher in restrictive.
Systolic pressure should be mostly normal in both though.
,Question:
What defect does retinoic acid cause?
Answer:
TOF (taussig had bad acne)
Question:
What drugs cause malignant hyperthermia?
Mechanism?
Answer:
succinylcholine (Sucs is depolarizing, so causes this, other neuromuscular blockers like roc and vec
are non-depolarizing so do not)
Also inhaled anesthetics (fluoranes) the flu succs and causes fever
Block magnesium regulatory effect on SR leading to increased intracellular calcium
Question:
Balloon sizes for pulmonary vs aortic valves vs mitral vs tricuspid.
Pulmonary artery?
Answer:
tricuspid = 150%, pulmonary (120% to start, 170% if double balloon), mitral ((height in
cm/10)+10), and aortic valve (80-90% to start stop at 100%)
Pulmonary artery 2.5-3.5 diameter of stenosis, but no more than 2X normal diameter
Go down by 10's starting at 150
Question:
Gene for alagilles?
Cardiac and facial findings?
Answer:
Jag 1 (ag is in alagilles)
Triangular face, prominent forehead
TOF, branch PS
Question:
,How do you know if wide complex on EP study?
Answer:
Takes up a whole box
Question:
How do you know rate on EP study?
Answer:
300, 150, 100, 75, 60, 50 x 2
Question:
Right vs left sided pathway?
Answer:
Once in tachycardia, look at CS catheter and see where earliest depolarization is (1,2 is leftward) so
if 1,2 depolarizes earlier it is left sided
Question:
EP catheter names and locations
HBE -
HRA -
His:
CS:
CS prox:
CS distal:
Answer:
HBE - his bundle electrogram
HRA - high right atrium
His: anterior (his junk is anterior)
CS: posterior
CS prox: R
CS distal: L
Question:
, Cardiac and dysmorphic features of noonan syndrome, gene
What other disease has similar feature and same gene?
Answer:
Multi- level PS (not ammenable to cath) and HCM. Short, webbed neck. Male turners. PTPN11
mutation in RAS/MAP pathway. Autosomal dominant.
Need some blue raz and a map in the high noon desert. PTP is multi level P's and N for noonan
LEOPARD syndrome
Question:
What is the most common coronary anomaly with D-TGA? TOF?
Answer:
TGA: Circ off of the right - a circling problem
TOF: LAD off the right - an anterior problem
Question:
Most patients with TOF have fibrous continuity between which valves?
Answer:
Aortic and tricuspid
Question:
Best anatomic markers of the atria?
Answer:
Valve of fossa ovalis for left (septum primum) [because the PFO is designed to dump to the left],
limbus of fossa ovalis of right (septum secundum), followed by ostia of IVC for right atrium.
Valve - left; also see septum premium attachments
Limb - right (right handed and 2 of them), also see septum secundum attachments
Question:
Most reliable marker for RV? Tricuspid valve?
Answer:
