Flashcards work best for the GSSE when each one tests a single relationship, threshold or mechanism—and when you retrieve the answer before turning the card. A card that asks for a short list without a clinical connection is harder to use under time pressure.

This deck covers foundational perioperative physiology, acid–base interpretation and pharmacology. It is a focused practice set, not a complete GSSE syllabus. Check current Australian guidance and your own course material for clinical protocols that may change.

Set up the deck

The cards are cut from a board of notes, rather than treated as disconnected facts. In MySummaries, that board can be built from your own slides, PDFs or photographed notes. A board for this set might look like this:

GSSE Perioperative physiology and acute careStudy
Generic surgical sciencesPerioperative physiology and acute care5 sections · 3 columns
Oxygen transport
  • Oxygen delivery (DO₂) = cardiac output × arterial oxygen content × 10
  • Arterial oxygen content is mostly oxygen bound to haemoglobin; dissolved oxygen contributes much less
Acute physiology
  • Lactate can rise through increased production or reduced clearance
  • Treat the cause of shock while supporting perfusion
Pressure and flow
  • At a usual heart rate, estimate MAP as DBP + one-third of pulse pressure
  • Systemic vascular resistance depends on the pressure gradient and cardiac output
Pharmacology
  • Heparin potentiates antithrombin
  • Warfarin inhibits vitamin K epoxide reductase
Acid–base
  • Use the anion gap to classify metabolic acidosis
  • In metabolic acidosis, compare measured PaCO₂ with expected respiratory compensation

Before studying, make sure you can explain how each formula or mechanism changes a clinical interpretation. The board's core checklist is the short version to recall before a practice session:

Must not miss corePerioperative physiology and acute care
Oxygen delivery (mL/min) = cardiac output (L/min) × arterial oxygen content (mL/dL) × 10; arterial oxygen content = (1.34 × Hb × SaO₂) + (0.003 × PaO₂), with Hb in g/dL
At a usual heart rate, estimated MAP = DBP + (SBP − DBP)/3; it is an approximation, not a universal measure of organ perfusion
Anion gap = Na⁺ − (Cl⁻ + HCO₃⁻), in mmol/L; do not include potassium in this conventional calculation
For metabolic acidosis, Winter’s formula estimates PaCO₂ = 1.5 × HCO₃⁻ + 8 ± 2 mmHg
Unfractionated heparin potentiates antithrombin; warfarin inhibits vitamin K epoxide reductase

Work through the flashcards

Take one card at a time. Read the question, say or write the answer from memory, then turn it and compare. Grade the attempt on whether you produced the essential fact accurately—not whether the answer sounded familiar. If you knew the formula but missed its units or meaning, mark it as a difficult recall and schedule another attempt soon.

The first card is face-up; continue through the remaining cards in order. Each asks for one examinable fact. After each answer, check the wording and units, then use the grade buttons to record how readily you recalled it.

Cards — Perioperative physiology and acute care16 due

Write the oxygen delivery equation when cardiac output is in L/min and oxygen content is in mL/dL.

DO₂ (mL/min) = cardiac output (L/min) × CaO₂ (mL/dL) × 10.

All 16 cards
Write the oxygen delivery equation when cardiac output is in L/min and oxygen content is in mL/dL.DO₂ (mL/min) = cardiac output (L/min) × CaO₂ (mL/dL) × 10.
What is the arterial oxygen content equation, using Hb in g/dL?CaO₂ (mL/dL) = (1.34 × Hb × SaO₂) + (0.003 × PaO₂), with SaO₂ as a fraction.
At a usual heart rate, how do you estimate mean arterial pressure from systolic and diastolic pressure?MAP ≈ DBP + (SBP − DBP)/3.
What is the conventional equation for systemic vascular resistance in dyn·s·cm⁻⁵?SVR = [(MAP − CVP) / cardiac output] × 80, with cardiac output in L/min and pressures in mmHg.
What does the Fick principle use to calculate cardiac output?Cardiac output = whole-body oxygen consumption divided by the arterial–venous oxygen content difference.
What is the Henderson–Hasselbalch equation used for blood pH?pH = 6.1 + log₁₀[HCO₃⁻ / (0.03 × PaCO₂)], with HCO₃⁻ in mmol/L and PaCO₂ in mmHg.
State Winter’s formula for expected PaCO₂ in metabolic acidosis.Expected PaCO₂ (mmHg) = 1.5 × HCO₃⁻ (mmol/L) + 8 ± 2.
How is the conventional anion gap calculated without potassium?Anion gap = Na⁺ − (Cl⁻ + HCO₃⁻), in mmol/L.
What does a PaO₂ measure, as distinct from oxygen saturation?PaO₂ is the partial pressure of oxygen dissolved in arterial plasma; it is not the amount of oxygen carried on haemoglobin.
Why can lactate be elevated without proving tissue hypoxia?Lactate can rise from increased production or reduced clearance; the value alone does not establish tissue hypoxia.
In the Sepsis-3 clinical definition, what additional findings define septic shock?Sepsis requiring vasopressors to maintain MAP ≥65 mmHg and lactate >2 mmol/L despite adequate volume resuscitation.
What is the principal haemodynamic effect of propofol that can contribute to peri-induction hypotension?Propofol reduces systemic vascular resistance through vasodilation and can also depress myocardial contractility.
How does unfractionated heparin produce anticoagulant activity?It potentiates antithrombin, accelerating inhibition of thrombin (factor IIa) and factor Xa.
Which enzyme complex is inhibited by warfarin?Vitamin K epoxide reductase complex 1 (VKORC1), reducing regeneration of active vitamin K.
What enzyme pathway do non-selective NSAIDs inhibit?Cyclo-oxygenase (COX), reducing synthesis of prostaglandins and thromboxane.
What is the immediate purpose of IV calcium in life-threatening hyperkalaemia with ECG changes?To stabilise the myocardial cell membrane; it does not lower the serum potassium concentration.

That is a MySummaries deck, filled with GSSE material. Yours is written from your own notes. Start free

Review misses, not just the score

For each difficult card, identify the kind of error. A wrong multiplier is a calculation error; confusing PaO₂ with saturation is a definition error; claiming lactate proves hypoxia is an interpretation error. Rewrite the card only if the question bundles several facts or makes the answer ambiguous. Otherwise, keep the question and strengthen the missing fact in your notes.

When cards are generated from a board, check them against the source before relying on them. This matters especially for equations, units, local protocols and definitions that depend on a stated framework. Do not turn a context-dependent clinical decision into an absolute flashcard answer.

The core checklist gives you a compact retrieval test. If you miss an item, return to the relevant card and explain why the fact matters: for example, Winter’s formula helps identify whether respiratory compensation is appropriate, while an unexpectedly high or low PaCO₂ may point to an additional respiratory disorder. That connection is more useful than memorising a formula without knowing what it tests.

A repeated miss should become a targeted prompt in the remediation tray, ready for another attempt:

Remediation tray

You lost this mark twice: in metabolic acidosis with HCO₃⁻ 12 mmol/L, what PaCO₂ does Winter’s formula predict, and what range is expected?

Add cardDismiss

For that prompt, calculate 1.5 × 12 + 8 = 26 mmHg, then apply the ±2 range: 24–28 mmHg. The useful recall is both the estimate and the expected range. If the measured PaCO₂ falls outside it, consider a concurrent respiratory disturbance rather than calling the compensation appropriate.

How MySummaries helps

MySummaries turns your own GSSE notes into a revision board, linked flashcards and spaced-repetition reviews. You can check the source behind a card, revisit recurring misses and build a deck around the material you need to learn. Start at portal.mysummaries.app.