CRS Topics from Sydney

1. Out of puff (Breathlessness in a ● Smoking cessation therapy options

smoker) ● Role of surgical management in COPD
● Aetiology and pathophysiology of COPD
● Diagnostic criteria for COPD including lung
function and radiology
● Gradation of severity of COPD (GOLD criteria)
● Principles of management of an acute
exacerbation of COPD
● Principles of long term management of COPD
● Differential diagnosis of increasing dyspnoea in
patients with chronic lung disease

2. Aching joints (Multisystem ● Causes of common autoimmune rheumatic

inflammatory disorder) diseases
● Pathogenesis of clinical manifestations of
Systemic Lupus Erythematosis (SLE)
● Differential diagnosis of polyarthritis and
rational diagnostic approach to a patient with
polyarthritis
● Dysregulation of the immune system in
autoimmune disease
● Management and course of SLE and its
monitoring (Pharmacology of NSAID,
corticosteroids)
● Side effects and complications of therapy of
SLE/ common autoimmune diseases
● Identification and management of
complications of SLE (including coagulation
abnormalities and lupus nephritis)
● Incidence, prevalence and disease burden of
autoimmune disease
● Genetic counselling and fertility issues in SLE
● Prognosis and course of SLE

3. Still sick (Breathlessness ● Differential diagnosis of patients presenting

abnormal chest X-ray) with suspected CAP.
● Assessment of severity of CAP.
● Investigation of probable CAP.
● Complications of CAP.
● Pleural effusions – causes, investigation and
management
● Principles of overall management of CAP.
● Principles of initial antibiotic therapy.

4. A dull ache (Chest pain, Carotid
Bruit)
5. Getting worse ( Vertebral
fracture, anaemia)
6. A lump in the neck
(Constitutional symptoms)
● Management of empyema.
● Risk factors of ischaemic heart disease;
especially considering cigarettes smoking,
diabetes mellitus, family history, hypertension,
hyperlipidaemia.
● Incidence, prevalence and disease burden of
ischaemic heart disease.
● Clinical manifestation of ischaemic heart
disease; in particular compare and contrast the
symptoms of stable angina, and acute
coronary syndrome.
● Investigations of possible underlying stenotic
coronary artery disease; including exercise
stress testing, stress echocardiography, stress
nuclear imaging, CT scans, and coronary
angiography.
● Management of ischaemic heart disease;
considering medications, revascularization with
coronary angioplasty ± stents, and coronary
bypass operations.
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● Side effects and complications of different
treatment options.
● Long-term prognosis and the impact of
coronary artery disease as a chronic disease on
patients and their families.
● Differential diagnosis of back pain
● Diagnosis and staging of multiple myeloma
● Treatment of multiple myeloma
● Side-effects and complications of treatment for
multiple myeloma
● Role of high dose chemotherapy and stem cell
transplant
● Prognosis of multiple myeloma
● Long term monitoring of multiple myeloma
● Community palliative care services
● Pain management options in cancer – including
non-pharmacological methods
● Adjustment to terminal illness, stages of
adjustment
● Differential diagnosis of lymphadenopathy
● Epidemiology of lymphoma
● Classification of lymphoproliferative disorders
● Staging investigations for non-Hodgkins and
Hodgkins lymphoma
● Prognosis of different histological subtypes of
non-Hodgkins and Hodgkins lymphoma
● Treatment of non-Hodgkins and Hodgkins
 lymphoma
● Social and psychological support for patients
with cancer
● Diagnosing and managing depression and
anxiety associated with a diagnosis of cancer
● Side-effects and complications of
chemotherapy
● Management of febrile neutropenia

7. Short of breath ● Differential diagnosis of patients with

(Breathlessness, Acute cold leg) dyspnoea; including cardiac and non-cardiac
conditions.
● Causes of heart failure; especially considering
ischaemic and non-ischaemic
cardiomyopathies.
● Incidence, prevalence and disease burden of
heart failure.
● Clinical manifestation of heart failure; in
particular compare and contrast the symptoms
and signs of left and right heart failure
● Management of heart failure; considering
psychosocial supports, medications,
biventricular pacemakers, defibrillators,
surgical options, and transplantation.
● Side effects and complications of different
therapeutic options.
● Long-term prognosis and the impact of heart
failure as a chronic disease on patients and
their families.

8. A dragging pain (End stage ● Common causes of end-stage kidney failure

renal failure) ● Value of antihypertensive treatment and
dietary protein restriction in chronic renal
disease
● Conservative management of renal failure
● Preparations and indications for dialysis
● Modes of dialysis
● Preparation for and modes of renal
transplantation
● Outcomes of dialysis and renal transplantation
● Role of social support, dialysis and transplant
groups

9. Plumbing problems (Loin pain ● Management of stone disease- role of

and acute renal failure) observation, extracorporeal shock wave
lithotripsy, ureteroscopy with laser lithotripsy
and percutaneous nephrolithotomy.
 ● Evaluation of the patient with suspected renal
colic.
● Management of urinary tract sepsis
● Management of acute obstructive renal failure.
● Type and composition of urinary calculi,
complications of stone disease, role of
metabolic evaluation.
● Causes/ investigation and management of
pelviureteric junction obstruction.

10. Murky waters ● Differential diagnosis and investigation of

(Glomerulonephritis) haematuria (microscopic and macroscopic)
● Modes of presentation and major types of
glomerulonephritis (asymptomatic urinary
abnormalities, nephritic and nephrotic
syndrome, rapidly progressive
glomerulonephritis, chronic glomerulonephritis)
● Recognise the clinical features of an
emergency presentation of rapidly progressive
glomerulonephritis and explain the role of early
aggressive treatment in this clinical scenario
● Outline the general approach to investigating
suspected glomerulonephritis
● Discuss the indications and contraindications of
renal biopsy, and be able to explain the
procedure of renal biopsy to a patient,
including the potential risks
● Histological features (LM, EM, IF) of major
types of glomerulonephritis
● Outline the principles of ‘specific’ treatment for
glomerulonephritis
● Outline the principles of “non-specific”
treatment of glomerulonephritis
● Describe the importance of hypertension and
proteinuria as causes of progressive renal
failure
● Pathogenesis of progressive chronic kidney
disease
● Importance of proteinuria as marker and cause
of progressive chronic kidney disease
● Outline the prognosis of the main types of
glomerulonephritis, and how to monitor their
progression.

11. A bad reaction (Hay Not available

fever,rhinitis,hives,collapse)

12. What does this mean? ● Differential diagnosis of liver disease.

(Abnormal Liver Function Tests) ● Approach to diagnosing and determining the
underlying causes of hepatic decompensation
in chronic liver disease.
● Management of complications of portal

13. An uncomfortable fortnight
(Bloody diarrhoea)
14. Lost control (Dizziness,Vertigo)
hypertension, including gastrointestinal
bleeding and ascites.
● Management of hepatic encephalopathy.
● Issues in management of cirrhotic patients,
including screening for hepatocellular
carcinoma, prevention of variceal bleeding, and
nutritional support.
● Treatments available for specific liver diseases
(eg venesection in hereditary
haemochromatosis, antiviral therapy in viral
hepatitis, corticosteroids for autoimmune
hepatitis).
● Specific issues involved with regard to
genetically inherited liver diseases (eg
haemochromatosis, α1-antitrypsin deficiency,
Wilson’s disease), including extrahepatic
manifestations and the role and implications of
family screening.
● Approach to patient with asymptomatic
abnormal liver tests.
● Rational approach to the differential diagnosis
of acute diarrhoea, recognising the clinical
significance of bloody motions, tenesmus,
urgency of defaecation, etc.
● Incidence and prevalence of inflammatory
bowel disease.
● Differentiation between ulcerative colitis and
Crohn's disease.
● Recognition of the importance and means of
differentiating between infectious colitis and
IBD.
● Clinical presentation of pseudomembranous
colitis.
● Clinical presentations of ischaemic colitis.
● Management of IBD
● Pharmacology and therapeutic use of
corticosteroids, 5-aminosalicylic acid
preparations, and immunomodulators in IBD
therapy.
● Complications of therapy in IBD.
● Monitoring disease activity in IBD.
● Screening for colorectal cancer in IBD.
● Side effects and compliance with treatment.
● Causes of common stroke syndromes
● Pathogenesis of common cerebrovascular
disease
● Consideration of rarer stroke aetiologies and

15. I think I’m losing it (Focal signs,
drowsiness)
16. Burning up (Fever)
17. Uphill Battle (Muscle weakness)
young onset stroke
● Sub-acute management and course of stroke
● Side effects and complications of therapy of
stroke
● Identification and management of risk factors
of stroke
● Rational diagnostic approach to a patient with
stroke
● Psychosocial impact of stroke
● Incidence, prevalence and disease burden of
stroke
● Differential diagnosis of acute neurological
deficits
● Acute management of stroke and its
monitoring
● The differential diagnosis and classification of
headache
● The ‘red flags’ in a headache history
● The pathophysiology and symptomatic
presentation of common headache syndromes
including migraine and tension-type
headaches.
● The pathophysiology and symptomatic
presentation of headache related to underlying
structural pathology.
● Clinical signs in headache
● The investigation of headache
● The treatment of intra-cerebral aneurysms
● The treatment of intra-cerebral haemorrhage
● The treatment of migraine and tension
headache
● Rehabilitation after brain injury
Not Available
● Differential diagnosis of lower limb weakness
● Clinical features of lower limb weakness of
spinal, peripheral nerve, muscle and
neuromuscular junction origin
● The pathophysiology of the Guillain Barré
syndrome and other immune mediated
neuromuscular disorders (inflammatory
myopathies, myasthenia gravis)
● The presentation of non-inflammatory
neuropathies and myopathies
● The investigation of neuromuscular disease
● The acute and chronic treatments of immune
mediated (inflammatory) neuromuscular
disease.
● The side effects of immunosuppression

18. What’s gone wrong?
(Amenorrhoea-secondary)
19. Had enough (Back pain)
20. Confused and drowsy
(Metabolic confusion)
21. Lost the plot (Deterioration in
an elderly patient)
22. Mum’s hurt (Aged carer
decompensation)
● The rehabilitation of patients with severe
limitation of mobility
Not Available
● Differential diagnosis of back pain in an elderly
patient
● Osteoporosis: diagnosis and basic
investigations
● How to interpret a bone density test
● Epidemiology of Osteoporosis and cost burden
to society
● Prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency
● Therapies for osteoporosis (short and long
term goals) and potential side effects
● Psychological aspects of chronic pain
● Paget’s disease: presentation, diagnosis and
therapy
● Paget’s disease: genetics and changing
prevalence
● Management of severe and/or chronic back
pain due to osteoporotic crush fracture
(including vertebroplasty)
Not Available
● Diagnose delirium and distinguish it from
dementia.
● Apply the diagnostic criteria (DMSAIV) for
delirium
● Learn how to approach a patient with delirium
● Define the laboratory work up for delirium
● Distinguish between hyper and hypokinetic
delirium
● Understand the pathophysiology of delirium
● Define a therapeutic approach to delirium
including the cause and predisposing factors.
● Prevent new episodes by modifying risk factors
and designing a proper follow up.
● Understand the frequency and consequences of
falls in older people
● Describe the risk factors for falling
● Describe potential precipitating factors that
 cause predisposed (at-risk) people to fall
● Discuss the evidence for falls prevention in the
older population
● Describe the acute management of a fall with
injury
● Discuss the diagnosis and treatment of
fractures commonly sustained in falls in the
elderly
● Be aware of potential risks of immobilisation
after a fracture
● Discuss the diagnosis and management of
osteoporosis in the elderly
● Understand different rehabilitation strategies
and available services/facilities for
rehabilitation
● Be aware of different community services
available for older people