Scenario
A 5 year old boy is brought to your major referral emergency department by his mother, who states he has been bitten on his ankle by a snake while playing in their back yard one hour previously. He has a pressure immobilization bandage in place.
He is currently asymptomatic with the following vital signs:
Question
a. What features on assessment would indicate evenomation? (50%)
One hour later the child is asymptomatic. Initial investigations are normal. The pressure immobilization bandage is still in place.
b. List the criteria which need to be met for the child to be discharged. (50%)
Answer
FACEM SAQ Exam 2007.1 – Question 1
- The overall pass rate for this question was 32/55 (58.2%).
- Pass Criteria
- The examiners felt that this was a straight forward question in an area designated as “Expert” in the curriculum.
- Overall the responses were considered disappointing.
- Candidates who scored poorly on this question exhibited inadequate overall knowledge.
- In particular there was poor knowledge of the haematological and neurological sequelae of snake envenomation plus poor appreciation of the role of SVDK.
- Additionally, criteria for discharge from the emergency department were inadequately discussed by some candidates.
- Features of unsuccessful answers
- A small number of candidates also failed to answer the specific question set.
ACEM Fellowship Short Answer Questions (SAQ)
About Mike Cadogan
