FCPS IMM Surgery Plastic Surgery & Burns MCQs: High-Yield Practice Questions & Prep

Plastic Surgery & Burns is one of the subject blocks in the FCPS IMM Surgery QBank. It covers burns resuscitation, skin grafts and flaps, hand injuries, cleft lip and palate and wound healing. Below is a sample set in the style of the bank, with the reasoning after each answer.

Sample MCQs

1. Which is the most common cause of skin graft failure?

• A) Infection with Staphylococcus aureus
• B) Haematoma beneath the graft ✅
• C) Poor donor site choice
• D) Excess pressure dressing

Why: Collections of blood or serous fluid beneath the graft are the commonest cause of graft failure.

2. The ideal timing for repair of cleft lip is:

• A) At birth
• B) About 3 months of age ✅
• C) At 5 years
• D) At puberty

Why: Repair is done at about 3 months (rule of tens variants).

3. A 20-year-old female with a secondary bilateral cleft lip deformity has a tight lip with horizontal shortening. Her appearance can be improved by the use of:

• A) Estlander flap
• B) Nasolabial flap
• C) Abbe flap ✅
• D) Sandwich Abbe flap

Why: An Abbe flap restores lip height and fullness in a tight secondary bilateral cleft lip.

4. Subclavian flap angioplasty may lead to which syndrome?

• A) Subclavian steal syndrome ✅
• B) Takayasu syndrome
• C) Marfan syndrome
• D) Horner syndrome

Why: Subclavian flap angioplasty sacrifices the subclavian artery and can cause subclavian steal.

5. Which flap is best known for coverage of nasal defects of the skin of the lower nose?

• A) Rhomboid flap
• B) Rotation flap for the cheek
• C) Bilobed flap ✅
• D) Latissimus dorsi flap

Why: A bilobed flap is used for small to moderate defects of the lower nose; a forehead flap is used for large nasal defects.

6. Burn injury causes which type of necrosis?

• A) Liquefactive necrosis
• B) Coagulative necrosis ✅
• C) Caseous necrosis
• D) Fat necrosis

Why: Heat denatures proteins, causing coagulative necrosis.

7. A shallow pale ulcer on the medial malleolus is treated by:

• A) Antibiotics only
• B) Compression therapy ✅
• C) Skin graft immediately
• D) Amputation

Why: Venous ulcers heal with graduated compression.

8. Nasomaxillary skin graft inlay procedure is performed to treat:

• A) Supratip nose deformity
• B) Tension nose deformity
• C) Open bite deformity
• D) Dish face deformity ✅

Why: Nasomaxillary skin graft inlay treats dish-face deformity.

9. What does the Parkland formula for burn resuscitation specify?

• A) 2 ml x weight x %TBSA over 12 hours
• B) 4 ml x weight x %TBSA given equally over 24 hours
• C) Colloid 4 ml x weight x %TBSA in the first 8 hours
• D) 4 ml x body weight (kg) x %TBSA over 24 hours, half in the first 8 hours ✅

Why: Half the Parkland volume is given in the first 8 hours from the time of burn, using crystalloid; colloids are avoided in the first 24 hours.

10. The cervical branch of the facial nerve lies close to the angle of the mandible. Injury to this nerve during dissection can be avoided:

• A) By keeping away from it
• B) By doing dissection superficial to the platysma muscle
• C) By identifying the common facial vein, tying it and lifting it up along with the upper cervical flap ✅
• D) By identifying the facial artery

Why: Identifying and ligating the common facial vein protects the cervical branch as it is lifted with the cervical flap.

How to Study This Block

• Memorise the burn fluid formula and the targets for urine output.
• Know graft versus flap: when each is used and why a graft fails.
• Revise the timing of cleft lip and palate repair.

Each subject in the QBank can be filtered on its own, so you can drill plastic surgery & burns until your accuracy is stable. Confirm the exam format and syllabus against the current CPSP guidelines.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are burns questions calculation based?

Often. Know the percentage body surface area rules and the fluid formula quoted in your course.

Is plastic surgery tested heavily at IMM level?

It forms a smaller block than orthopaedics or general surgery, but the burns and wound topics repeat.

Practise With the Full QBank

The FCPS IMM Surgery QBank has a free trial batch in Tutor mode, subject filters and Timed mode. Related: complete exam guide, how to use recalls.