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Retired NBME 22 Answers

nbme22/Block 4/Question#44 (reveal difficulty score)
A 10-year-old boy has bruised easily since ...
Prolonged prothrombin time ๐Ÿ” / ๐Ÿ“บ / ๐ŸŒณ / ๐Ÿ“–
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 +14  upvote downvote
submitted by โˆ—azibird(279)
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In what century is this question taking place?? Dicoumarol was replaced by warfarin in the mid-1950s! It's on the FDA's list of discontinued drug products!

From wikipedia: "Identified in 1940, dicoumarol became the prototype of the 4-hydroxycoumarin anticoagulant drug class. Dicoumarol itself, for a short time, was employed as a medicinal anticoagulant drug, but since the mid-1950s has been replaced by its simpler derivative warfarin, and other 4-hydroxycoumarin drugs."

Did the grandpa have some leftover dicoumarol in the cabinet from his DVT in the summer of 1949?? This question is absolutely ridiculous.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicoumarol https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Dicumarol#section=Uses

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 +10  upvote downvote
submitted by โˆ—adong(144)
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Dicumarol is in the coumarin family which includes warfarin. It helps if you think about warfarin's brand name Coumadin. Coumadin, coumarin, dicumarol...all the other derivatives have COUM it in some fashion

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neilfespiritu  Oh coum +3



 +7  upvote downvote
submitted by โˆ—mattnatomy(46)
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You can basically think of Dicumarol as warfarin. MOA: Depletes vitamin K stores Since Vitamin K is involved in gamma carboxylation of factors 2, 7, 9, & 10, you can use the Prothrombin Time to measure the response. Prothrombin time measures the extrinsic pathway of coagulation, which is mainly mediated via Factor 7.

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 +5  upvote downvote
submitted by โˆ—seagull(1933)
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If you don't know what Dicumarol does like any normal human. The focus on what aspirin doesn't do, namely it's doesn't affect PT time and most pills don't increase clotting (especially with aspirin). This is how I logic to the right answer.

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usmleuser007  If that's then thinking, then how would you differentiate between PT & PTT? +29
ls3076  Why isn't "Decreased platelet count" correct? Aspirin does not decrease the platelet count, only inactivates platelets. +5
drmohandes  Because dicumarol does not decrease platelet count either. +1
krewfoo99  @usmleuser007 Because the answer choice says decrease in PTT. If you take a heparin like drug then the PTT will increase. Drugs wont increase PTT (that would be procoagulant) +5
pg32  I think usmleuser007 and is3076 were working form the perspective of not knowing what dicumerol was. If you were unsure what dicumarol was, there really wasn't a way to get this correct, contrary to @seagull's comment. You can't really rule out any of these as possible options because aspirin doesn't do any of them. +5
snripper  yeah, it wouldn't work. We'll need to know with Dicumarol is. +5
jackie_chan  Not true, the logic works. You gotta know what aspirin does at least, it interferes with COX1 irreversibly and inhibits platelet aggregation (kinda like an induced Glanzzman), all it does. PT, aPTT are functions of the coagulation cascade and the test itself is not an assessment of platelet function. Bleeding time/clotting time is an assessment of platelet function. A- decreased plasma fibrinogen concentration- not impacted B- decreased aPTT/partial- DECREASED, indicates you are hypercoaguable, not the case C- decreased platelet count- aspirin does not destroy platelets D- normal clotting time- no we established aspirin impacts clotting/bleeding time by preventing aggregation E- prolonged PT- answer, aspirin does not impact the coagulation factor cascades in the test +6
teepot123  di'coumarin'ol +1



 +1  upvote downvote
submitted by โˆ—shutch94(1)
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I get that bleeding time is a measurement of platelet function. Is clotting time a measurement of the coagulation cascade (PTT/PT)?

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drdoom  yes, that's correct. +1



 +1  upvote downvote
submitted by fukprometric(3)
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we need to know like 400 drugs in FA, and they choose the one that's not in there. thanks NBME

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 +0  upvote downvote
submitted by โˆ—zpatel(36)
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Can anyone tell the effect of aspirin on a blood lab value (i.e PT,PTT,Fibrin product)?

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paperbackwriter  Aspirin only increases platelet aggregation (blocks COX1/2 --> decreased production of Thromboxane A2 --> decreased aggregation). That's why it only increases bleeding time and has no effect on PT, PTT, and fibrin products. PT and PTT are only affected if something messes the coagulation cascade. +1



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