DrNB · DM Critical Care Medicine: Examination Guide Series Volume 2, Part 2C

DrNB · DM Critical Care Medicine: Examination Guide Series

Volume 2, Part 2C — Short Case Examination

Systems-Based Cases with Viva Q&A

The short case is a tight format: 15 minutes of bedside clinical examination or data interpretation, followed by 15 minutes of structured viva questioning, one single organ system at a time. This third practical-exam volume is built around exactly that format, mirroring how marks are actually awarded — systematic examination technique, correct diagnosis, logical management, guideline knowledge, and communication.

What’s inside

• 15 short cases across the organ systems:
• Respiratory — ARDS at the bedside; ventilator dyssynchrony
• Cardiovascular — shock differentiation; arrhythmia ECG station
• Neurological — coma examination; brain death determination
• Renal — AKI with CRRT prescription
• Haematological — ICU thrombocytopenia
• Endocrine — DKA versus HHS
• GI / Hepatic — upper GI bleeding risk stratification
• Infectious — Sepsis-3 and source control
• Toxicology — toxidrome recognition
• Haemodynamic — PA catheter / PiCCO interpretation
• ICU nutrition prescription
• VA-ECMO monitoring and troubleshooting station
• Each case opens with a station brief read to the candidate, exactly as in the exam
• A step-by-step examination checklist that mirrors examiner mark allocation
• A full viva Q&A block on diagnosis, pathophysiology, differentials, management, evidence, and monitoring targets
• All referenced to Irwin & Rippe, Marino’s The ICU Book, and Oh’s Intensive Care Manual

Designed for exam-day rehearsal under time pressure, and equally valuable for DM CCM candidates, FNB Critical Care Medicine trainees, and intensivists wanting structured bedside teaching material.

This is Part 2C of a multi-volume DrNB Critical Care Medicine Examination Guide Series — the third practical-exam volume, following Part 2A (Long Case) and Part 2B (OSCE Vignettes) within Volume 2, and the Volume 1 theory papers (Parts 1A–1D).

Disclaimer: An independent educational resource for exam preparation, not affiliated with NBEMS. Clinical decisions require individual patient assessment by qualified clinicians.

By Dr. Gunadhar Padhi — Chief Intensivist, HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, Mumbai; MD, IDCCM, FCCCM, ECMO (Paris); author of the DrNB Critical Care Medicine Examination Guide Series.