Practice Test GeeksABIM - American Board of Internal Medicine Practice Test
← All ABIM Flashcard Decks

Pulmonology Flashcards

6 cards from real ABIM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 6 Pulmonology flashcards as text

  1. A 55-year-old woman with COPD uses a long-acting bronchodilator. She continues to have dyspnea and frequent exacerbations. Which add-on therapy has been shown to reduce COPD exacerbations?

    Answer: Inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) with LABA

    Adding ICS to LABA (or LABA/LAMA combination) reduces exacerbation frequency in COPD patients with frequent exacerbations or eosinophilia.

  2. A patient presents with a spontaneous pneumothorax. CXR shows 30% lung collapse. He is hemodynamically stable with mild dyspnea. What is the appropriate management?

    Answer: Supplemental O2 and aspiration or small-bore chest tube

    A large (≥20%) first-episode spontaneous pneumothorax with symptoms warrants oxygen supplementation and simple aspiration or small-bore chest tube drainage.

  3. Pulmonary function tests show: FEV1/FVC 0.82, FVC 58% predicted, TLC 65% predicted. DLCO is 50% of predicted. What pattern is present?

    Answer: Restrictive pattern

    Restrictive lung disease is characterized by reduced FVC and TLC with a normal or elevated FEV1/FVC ratio, with reduced DLCO indicating parenchymal involvement.

  4. A 60-year-old man undergoes bronchoscopy for a centrally located lung mass. BAL and bronchial biopsy show small cells with high nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio and neuroendocrine markers. What is the most important initial staging test?

    Answer: PET-CT and brain MRI

    Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is staged as limited or extensive disease; PET-CT plus brain MRI is recommended for comprehensive staging given SCLC's early metastatic behavior.

  5. A patient with moderate persistent asthma is well controlled on low-dose ICS plus LABA. During pregnancy, her asthma worsens. What is the safest approach?

    Answer: Step up asthma therapy as needed to maintain control

    Maintaining adequate asthma control during pregnancy is essential; uncontrolled asthma carries greater risk to the fetus than properly managed pharmacotherapy.

  6. A 48-year-old man develops bilateral pulmonary infiltrates, fever, and hypoxemia 6 hours after a massive blood transfusion. He has never had prior transfusions. What is the diagnosis?

    Answer: Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI)

    TRALI presents within 6 hours of transfusion with non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema (bilateral infiltrates, hypoxemia, normal PCWP) caused by donor antibodies activating recipient neutrophils.