Page 323 - First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 2020, Thirtieth edition [MedicalBooksVN.com]_Neat

HIGH-YIELD SY STEMS

Cardiovascular

“As for me, except for an occasional heart attack, I feel as young as I ever `Embryology 280
did.”
—Robert Benchley `Anatomy 283

“Hearts will never be practical until they are made unbreakable.” `Physiology 284
—The Wizard of Oz
`Pathology 298
“As the arteries grow hard, the heart grows soft.”
—H. L. Mencken `Pharmacology 316
“Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can
hold.”
—Zelda Fitzgerald

“Only from the heart can you touch the sky.”
—Rumi

“It is not the size of the man but the size of his heart that matters.”
—Evander Holyfield

The cardiovascular system is one of the highest yield areas for the
boards and, for some students, may be the most challenging. Focusing
on understanding the mechanisms instead of memorizing the details
can make a big difference, especially for this topic. Pathophysiology of
atherosclerosis and heart failure, MOA of drugs (particular physiology
interactions) and their adverse effects, ECGs of heart blocks, the cardiac
cycle, and the Starling curve are some of the more high-yield topics.
Differentiating between systolic and diastolic dysfunction is also very
important. Heart murmurs and maneuvers that affect these murmurs
have also been high yield and may be asked in a multimedia format.

279

FAS1_2019_07-Cardio.indd 279 11/7/19 4:24 PM