General Surgery

20 learning units • 100 chapter sections • 200 explained questions. Assess surgical disease, recognise complications and connect intervention with safe recovery and follow-up.

Original RAHBAR study material for the Year 4 learning pathway. Clinical cases support supervised undergraduate learning. Treatment choices, doses and procedures must follow current local protocols and the responsible clinical team. References & further reading ↓

MODULE 02 / 20

Preoperative Assessment & Risk Reduction

Match preparation to the operation, the patient and the urgency, while keeping the anaesthetic and surgical plans aligned.

Answer all 10 questions, then submit to see your score and explanations. This is a self-study exercise; results are not saved.

Question 01. Which finding matters beyond a list of diagnoses in preoperative assessment? A. Only the number of clinic lettersB. Functional capacity and frailtyC. Only the patient's occupation titleD. The order of diagnoses in the notes

Question 02. How should routine preoperative tests be chosen? A. The same maximal panel for every patientB. According to procedure and patient findingsC. Only after anaesthesia has startedD. By excluding all laboratory tests

Question 03. What is the best approach to anticoagulants before surgery? A. Stop all agents indefinitelyB. Continue every agent for every procedureC. An individual bleeding and thrombosis risk planD. Replace them with aspirin in every patient

Question 04. Why ask about chronic glucocorticoid use? A. Adrenal suppression may affect perioperative careB. Steroids always prevent infectionC. They eliminate anaesthetic riskD. They make medicine reconciliation unnecessary

Question 05. What is a potential consequence of unnecessarily prolonged fasting? A. Dehydration and increased treatment burdenB. Guaranteed prevention of every aspiration eventC. Elimination of all glucose problemsD. Improved nutritional status

Question 06. How should VTE prophylaxis be selected? A. Balance thrombosis risk, bleeding risk and contraindicationsB. Give identical treatment to everyoneC. Ignore the type of surgeryD. Use only age with no other information

Question 07. Which activity belongs to enhanced recovery? A. Routine prolonged bed rest for allB. Fasting until every bowel sound returns in all proceduresC. Delaying all patient education until dischargeD. Planned analgesia, nutrition and mobilisation

Question 08. When should a difficult-airway history be communicated? A. Only after induction failsB. Before anaesthesia so the team can planC. Only on the discharge letterD. After the operation if remembered

Question 09. What is the safety checklist intended to support? A. Replacement of clinical judgementB. Retrospective documentation onlyC. Shared confirmation and resolution of key risksD. Proof that complications are impossible

Question 10. An emergency operation is needed in a poorly optimised patient. What is appropriate? A. Delay automatically until every chronic condition is perfectB. Balance rapid optimisation against harmful delay with senior inputC. Ignore comorbidities completelyD. Apply elective timelines without review

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References & Further Reading

Read the relevant guideline sections alongside these original clinical teaching cases. Local pathways, available services and individual patient factors determine care.

Reference review: 27 September 2026. Consult current local protocols for prescribing, procedures and escalation.