AKP: Cardiology
Congenital and acquired heart disease, rhythm, circulation, examination, investigation and haemodynamic consequences. Integrate history, examination, images, radiographs, ECGs and other data to choose the best diagnosis, investigation, management or escalation.
How to prepare across FOP, TAS and AKP
Learn each paediatric specialty through three different lenses: common clinical foundations, underlying science, and applied clinical decision making.
Core concepts
Concept 1
Recognise common murmurs, cyanosis, heart failure and rhythm presentations.
Exam cue: Synthesize the decisive findings, identify the time point and choose the action that most safely changes management.
Concept 2
Apply cardiac anatomy, embryology, electrophysiology and pressure-flow relationships.
Exam cue: Interpret ECG, imaging and haemodynamics to prioritise investigation and management.
Concept 3
Interpret ECG, imaging and haemodynamics to prioritise investigation and management.
Exam cue: Escalate shock, duct-dependent disease, dangerous arrhythmia and decompensated heart failure.
Risk pitfalls and guardrails
Do not select a generally true statement when the stem requires the best next decision for the current acuity and stage of care.
Guardrail: Do not choose a plausible fact that answers a different exam lens or a different time point.
Do not transfer adult norms, doses or decision thresholds to a child without checking age, development and weight.
Guardrail: Do not calculate until weight, units, concentration, maximum dose and monitoring are explicit.
Do not infer a fixed Cardiology item count from the published 25%-33% range band.
Guardrail: Do not choose a plausible fact that answers a different exam lens or a different time point.
Memory anchors
AKP lens
Integrate history, examination, images, radiographs, ECGs and other data to choose the best diagnosis, investigation, management or escalation.
Cardiology: foundation
Recognise common murmurs, cyanosis, heart failure and rhythm presentations.
Cardiology: science
Apply cardiac anatomy, embryology, electrophysiology and pressure-flow relationships.
Cardiology: applied practice
Interpret ECG, imaging and haemodynamics to prioritise investigation and management.
Cardiology: safety check
Escalate shock, duct-dependent disease, dangerous arrhythmia and decompensated heart failure.
Checkpoint rule
Do the check-up only after you can summarize each concept in one sentence and identify one dangerous pitfall from memory.
Knowledge Check (after reading)
Short check-up to confirm understanding of this module.
Check-up Questions
A 3-month-old has a regular narrow-complex tachycardia at 260/min, is pale and has delayed capillary refill. Vagal manoeuvres have failed. What is the best next step?
A 4-year-old has six days of fever, bilateral conjunctival injection, cracked lips, rash and swollen hands. Which treatment most reduces coronary-artery complications?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Continue learning
Move forward only after this module is stable.
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