Head trauma is a commonly encountered diagnostic problem in neurosurgery and is thought by some to be relatively limited in its technical challenges, and, as such, it gives the examinee an opportunity to excel in this area. Six cases are presented and include the history and physical symptoms, imaging studies, analyses, and plan of each case. Cases include closed head injury with raised intracranial pressure, a gunshot wound to the head, an epidural hematoma, trauma with intracerebral hemorrhage, and a depressed skull fracture. Sample questions and reasonable answers are also provided. For those choosing Trauma/Critical Care for the focused component of their exam, there are more in-depth questions oriented particularly to critical care. These are marked with asterisks.
Sustaining critical care: using evidence-based simulation to evaluate ICU management policies