If Surgery I was about the basics—lumps, bumps, and simple hernias—then Surgery II is where the real heat is. This is the realm of the “acute abdomen,” complex trauma, neurosurgery, and the high-stakes world of cardiothoracics. It’s the paper that separates those who have just read the manual from those who have actually spent time on the wards watching a patient’s vitals fluctuate.
Below is the exam paper download link
Past Paper On Surgery II For Revision
Above is the exam paper download link
The problem with Surgery II isn’t just the facts; it’s the clinical judgment. Examiners aren’t just asking “what is this?”; they are asking “what do you do first when the patient is crashing?”
To help you stop second-guessing your instincts, we’ve put together a gritty, high-yield Q&A session. Once you’ve sharpened your teeth on these, you can download the full Surgery II Past Paper at the bottom of this post to see how you measure up against a full clock.
Surgery II Revision: The “In-The-Theater” Q&A
Q1: A patient arrives with a blunt chest injury, tracheal deviation, and absent breath sounds on the left. What is your immediate move?
A: Forget the X-ray. This is a Tension Pneumothorax. If you wait for imaging, the patient might not make it. Your answer must prioritize needle decompression in the second intercostal space (mid-clavicular line) followed immediately by a formal chest tube (intercostal drain). In Surgery II, speed saves lives.
Q2: How do you distinguish between a mechanical bowel obstruction and a paralytic ileus on a plain abdominal film?
A: Look for the “transition point.” In a mechanical obstruction, you’ll see dilated loops of bowel above the blockage and collapsed bowel below it, often with clear fluid levels. In a paralytic ileus, the dilation is usually more generalized throughout the small and large intestines because the “motor” has simply stopped running.
Q3: What is the “Rule of 9s” in burn management, and why does it dictate your fluid resuscitation?
A: The Rule of 9s is your quick-and-dirty way to estimate Total Body Surface Area (TBSA) affected by burns. You need this number for the Parkland Formula ($4mL \times kg \times \%TBSA$). If you get the percentage wrong, you either under-resuscitate (kidney failure) or over-resuscitate (pulmonary edema). Examiners love math that has immediate clinical consequences.
Q4: When is a “Watchful Waiting” approach appropriate for a patient with suspected Appendicitis?
A: Almost never in a standard exam scenario, unless you are dealing with an Appendix Mass. If the body has already walled off the infection into a stable phlegmon, immediate surgery can actually be more dangerous (risking damage to the cecum). In this specific case, you’d opt for conservative management with antibiotics and an interval appendectomy weeks later.
Why You Need the Surgery II Past Paper
Studying Surgery II without practicing past papers is like trying to learn how to tie a surgical knot by watching a YouTube video without a piece of string in your hands. You need the tactile experience of the questions.
By downloading our Surgery II Past Paper, you’ll be able to:
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Identify “Buzzwords”: Learn the coded language examiners use to hint at a diagnosis (e.g., “bird’s beak” on a barium swallow or “coffee bean sign” on an X-ray).
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Master Prioritization: Surgery II is all about the ABCDEs. The past paper will train you to pick the life-saving intervention over the diagnostic one.
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Bridge the Gap: Transition from “student” to “junior surgeon” by handling multi-step clinical scenarios.
📥 [Download the Surgery II Revision Past Paper PDF Here]
(Pro-tip: Don’t just read the paper—print it out. There is something about holding the physical paper that mimics the adrenaline of the exam hall.)
Final Advice: Think Like a Surgeon
When you’re sitting that paper, don’t just look for the “right” answer. Look for the safest answer. Surgery is as much about knowing when to stay out of the operating theater as it is about knowing how to cut.
