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Acute limb ischaemia — MCCQE Part 1 MCQ

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EasyTraumaAcute limb ischaemiaMCCQE Part 1

A 76-year-old woman with atrial fibrillation has a sudden painful cold pale leg with paraesthesia and absent distal pulses. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

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Correct answer: B — Give systemic heparin and arrange urgent vascular surgery assessment

Give systemic heparin and arrange urgent vascular surgery assessment is the single best answer because the age, timing, examination findings and investigations in the vignette fit Acute limb ischaemia better than the alternatives. The most tempting distractor is less appropriate because it either treats a neighbouring presentation, delays a time-critical intervention, or ignores a key discriminator in the stem. The remaining options are suboptimal because they would miss the diagnosis, use an investigation or treatment in the wrong sequence, or fail to address safety and follow-up. Canadian practice should be anchored to Canadian vascular surgery guidance, with attention to acuity, safety-netting and local provincial pathways.

Reference: Canadian vascular surgery guidance