American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Certification Practice Exam

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Study for the ABIM Certification Exam. Use flashcards and multiple choice questions, with hints and explanations for each. Get ready to succeed!

Start Multiple Choice Practice Test
Start Flash Cards

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

Which symptom is indicative of patients with an ABI greater than 1.40?

  1. Normal blood pressure

  2. Calcification of the arterial wall

  3. Severe chest pain

  4. Increased heart rate

The correct answer is: Calcification of the arterial wall

An ankle-brachial index (ABI) greater than 1.40 typically indicates the presence of calcification in the arterial walls, which results in falsely elevated ABI readings. This condition, known as non-compressible arteries, is often associated with conditions like diabetes and chronic kidney disease, where the arteries can become hardened due to calcium deposits. In these cases, the stiffness prevents the proper compression needed to accurately assess blood flow. While the other options may offer various clinical insights, they do not specifically correlate with the presence of an ABI greater than 1.40. Normal blood pressure is unrelated to ABI values and does not convey any specific arterial condition. Similarly, severe chest pain and increased heart rate can emerge from a wide array of cardiovascular issues, but they are not definitive indicators of high ABI readings, as they do not directly address the arterial health related to calcification.

More Questions Like This