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Opening (30 s)
"Sudden Cardiac Death — give a one-line definition and the single most important immediate risk."
Model: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the sudden, unexpected death from a cardiac cause occurring within one hour of symptom onset (witnessed), or within 24 hours of last being seen alive and well (unwitnessed). It is the leading natural cause of death in the industrialised world, accounting for roughly 300,000 to 400,000 events per year in the United States and 4 to 5 million globally. The final common p
Station 1 — Pathophysiology (2 min)
Explain the mechanism chain from cause to clinical features and one major complication.
Station 2 — Clinical diagnosis (2 min)
Classic presentation, atypical groups, named bedside signs, and what you examine for red flags.
Red flag cue: Survivor of cardiac arrest from VF or pulseless VT, not due to a fully reversible cause - secondary prevention ICD before discharge (AVID, CIDS, CASH trials); 30 to 50 percent one-year recurrence without one
Station 3 — Investigations (2 min)
First-line tests, definitive tests, and any named score with exact components.
Station 4 — Emergency management (3 min)
ABC priorities, first drugs with dose and route, procedures, and when to escalate to ICU/theatre.
Station 5 — Definitive / long-term care (2 min)
Stepwise definitive therapy, monitoring, complications of treatment, follow-up.
Station 6 — Special populations (2 min)
Child / pregnancy / elderly / immunocompromised / renal impairment — what changes.
Station 7 — Evidence & pitfalls (2 min)
Landmark trial or guideline name if standard; three classic exam traps.
Station 8 — Rapid-fire pearls (1 min)
Five high-yield facts a candidate must not forget under time pressure.
Examiner pass criteria
- Speaks in mechanisms and numbers, not vague lists
- Gives at least one exact dose or threshold
- Names escalation criteria
- Avoids dangerous delays (imaging when unstable, etc.)