Without a doubt, the cardiovascular and respiratory system form the backbone of successful exam preparation. However, the topis are so extensive and exhausting that most of the students will find themselves submerged in the confusing void of what to read from the plethora of resources available out there.

To make the tough terrain a little less painful, we have tried to complete a list of the most important topics to be read under the respiratory system, a bare minimum yet essential topics’ compilation.

Would you please go through the guide before you hop on the train of your respiratory section?

Physiology and physics

• Airway anatomy
• Differences between adult and paediatric airway
• Reason behind the difference in positioning of recurrent laryngeal nerve
• Physics and physiology of breathing
• Lung volumes, the effect of position, and anaesthesia
• FRC and closing capacity
• Dead space, calculation, fowlers method
• Surface tension
• Laplace law
• Control of breathing
• Effect of carbon dioxide and oxygen on ICP, cerebral blood flow and respiratory control and diagrams
• Oxygen-Hb and Carbon-dioxide-Hb curve and diagrams
• V/Q mismatch, lung zones, shunt equation, alveolar equation, and diagrams
• Oxygen cascade
• Oxygen and carbon dioxide carriage in blood
• Haldane and Bohr effect
• Breathing at high altitudes (acute and chronic mountain sickness)
• Decompression syndrome
• How to measure oxygen consumption and oxygen delivery to tissue
• ABG analysis
• Hypoxemia and hyperoxia
• Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction: physiology, anaesthetic agents and drugs interfering with HPV
• Lung and chest compliance
• Nerve supply of larynx
• Gas flow measurement principles and devices
• Gas laws
• Physiology of one-lung ventilation
• Changes in lung volumes supine and lateral position with and without anaesthesia
• Non-respiratory functions of the lungs.

Oxygen supplementation/Ventilation and ventilators

• Difficult intubation, MPG and other scores
• Difficult intubation drill
• Can’t intubate can’t ventilate scenario
• Preoxygenation/ denitrogenating Modes
• Apneic ventilation
• Comparisons between modes/ differences between OT and ICU ventilator
• Non-invasive ventilation / BiPAP/ CPAP
• High-frequency jet ventilation
• High-frequency oscillation
• Humidification
• VAP
• Oxygen devices and function and principles (face mask/ venturi-mask/jet ventilator/ ETT/ Double lumen tubes/ AMBU)
• Bernoulli equation
• Write the chemical reaction of soda-lime and explain the benefit of this reaction
• Newer carbon dioxide absorbents/ baralyme

Monitoring and measurements

• Spirometry
• Fowler’s method
• Plethysmography
• Gas flow measurement
• ABG, blood gas and pH measurements (*Clarke electrode)
• Capnography
• Pulse oximetry

Applied/clinical

• Airway fire
• Haemoptysis. Emergency management
• Tension pneumothorax
• Blunt chest trauma
• ARDS
• Pulmonary oedema
• Aspiration/Infection
• Mendelson syndrome
• Problems with one-lung ventilation. Hypoxia drill
• Pulmonary embolism diagnosis and management
• Asthma
• COPD
• Status asthmaticus
• Preoperative optimization of a COPD patient
• Perioperative pulmonary complications (PPCs)
• Criteria for pneumonectomy, indications, preop preparation, OLV, post-op complications
• Paediatric: TEF, CDH, persistent pulmonary hypertension
• Pulmonary hypertension. Methods of lowering pulmonary pressures (inhalational vs intravenous drug comparison), drugs to be avoided in PHT.

Chest x-ray or CT scan with

(You can download the radiology module by targetedaic)

• ETT (Identify correct positioning), tracheostomy tube
• Pulmonary catheter
• Consolidation
• Effusion
• Solitary nodule
• Bronchiectasis
• Pulmonary oedema
• ARDS
• Cavitatory lesion
• Lobar collapse
• Pneumothorax/ tension pneumothorax
• Mediastinal shift
• Pneumomediastinum.
• Subcutaneous emphysema
• Prominent vascular markings
• Supine vs erect position
• AP vs PA film
• Lateral film

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