Table Of ContentYALE-G FIRST AID:
CRUSH USMLE
STEP 2CK & Step 3
(Fourth Edition)
YALE GONG, MD, MS
Senior Clinical Investigator
Perelman School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Copyright © 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2010 by Yale Gong in the United States of
America. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in
any form or by any means without prior written permission from the copyright owner.
Copyright infringement will face serious legal consequences!
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data, USA
Gong, Yale
YALE-G FIRST AID: CRUSH USMLE STEP 2CK & STEP 3
(4th Edition)/ By Yale Gong.
p. ; cm.
ISBN13: 978-1634150859
4th Edition Plus E-book (updated as of April 15, 2018).
Publisher of Yale-G’s eBook and paper book:
www.usmle-yaleg.com
Contact: [email protected]
Cover design: Christina Paraskevopoulou at www.fiverr.com
Reviewers
Matthew A. Warner, MD
Anesthesiologist
Mayo Medical School and Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota
Magdalini Tsintou, MD, MS
Neuroscientist
Harvard University
School of Medicine
Boston, Massachusetts
Acknowledgments
Genuine thanks to Dr. Ramon Diaz-Arrastia, Dr. Matthew Warner, Dr. Magdalini
Tsintou, Dr. Mary T. S. Bah, and Dr. Angela Pronger and other professional friends for
their important support of this highly challenging book! Same thanks to
www.google.com for all forms of help!
“Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.” — Psalms 126:5
Preface
The fifth edition of the “Yale-G First Aid: Crush USMLE Step 2 CK and Step 3” has been a great update from the
already well-known, almost 5-star fourth edition at Amazon, with the author team’s persistent efforts for 7-8 years.
It has been updated greatly based on www.usmle.org*, www.uptodate.com, www.uworld.com, “Current Medical
Diagnosis and Treatment”, Kaplan Medical books, and a large volume of kind, supportive feedback from medical
students and doctors in the US and around the world. According to frank feedbacks to the author team and
amazon.com, this book has really collected the most high-yield and complete clinical knowledge (CK) particularly
needed for the USMLE Step 2 CK and Step 3 (clinical management) and thus already been accepted as the best
single resource compared to similar books in the USMLE market after years of competition. If you have been
looking for the equivalent of “First Aid for the USMLE Step 1” with no success, this can be it! This can be your
“bible” for USMLE Step 2 CK and Step 3. You no longer need to buy a pile of pricy clinical books and an
overwhelming variety of sources and wonder whether they are updated and/or correct. All the complex and high-
yield materials are in here and presented in an easy to digest format without wordy, tiring descriptions. This book
can be helpful for Step 1 (15-20% overlapped questions) and Step 2 CS (for differential diagnosis) too, but it is
certainly a must for USMLE Step 2 CK and Step 3 if you aim at high scores. Important features of this book
include:
1. Systematic and refined summaries of all common and uncommon diseases and disorders that are
frequently tested in the USMLE Step 2 CK and Step 3. They are composed mainly of important concepts,
etiologies, essentials of diagnoses, differential diagnoses, treatments, and preventive measures.
2. Well-organized contents in easy-to-remember formats and abbreviations; more than 100 tables for summaries and
differential diagnoses, and necessary details of high-yield “orderly steps” in the diagnosis and management of major
diseases. Most important clinical points are in “PEARLS”, underlined, and bolded as priorities and with
great potential to be seen in the USMLE.
3. 600 refined, fundamental, and high-yield questions (HYQs) in real-examination format (“Single best
answer” and “Matching”) chapter by chapter for application of the key clinical knowledge. All explanations and
related topics should be read carefully.
4. 155 selected high-yield clinical images with brief diagnostic features side by side for deeper digestion and
memory of the important clinical knowledge. All the “Clinical Images” and “Table of Contents and Classified
Index” are linked to the text for reader’s convenience.
After a thorough digestion of this book (study twice), you should go through at least 2000 high-yield practice
questions in the best question bank at “www.usmleworld.com” twice. Then you will be ready to crush the USMLE
Step 2 CK and Step 3 with high scores! I’m so confident of this that I keep the promise of “money back guarantee”
for any rare failure of the USMLE Step 2 CK after using this book.
This book is your ticket to the USMLE and ECFMG certification! It can also be a special aid in medical school
education in the US and around the world. Honestly, if this book is better than most similar ones in the market, it is
only because I have dedicated a larger part of my life than most other professionals. I take all feedbacks and
contributions constructively with reward, and will keep improving the book to reach as close to perfect as possible to
satisfy your needs for clinical exams and rotations.
Best wishes to all who appreciate and use this book!
Yale Gong, MD, MS
*www.usmle.org: “USMLE Step 3: Examinees are seeing increased numbers of items that assess an expanded range
of competency-based content, including foundational science essential for effective healthcare; biostatistics,
epidemiology, and population health; literature interpretation; medical ethics; and patient safety.”
Table of Contents and Classified Index
Chapter 1 INFECTIOUS AND PARASITIC DISEASES
PEARLS: HIGH-YIELD CLINICAL POINTS OF ANTIBIOTICS
INFECTIONS OF THE EYES, EAR, NOSE, AND THROAT
EYE INFECTIONS
Infectious Conjunctivitis
Otitis Media
Otitis Externa
Rhinosinusitis
Septic Dural Sinus Thrombosis
RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS
Pharyngitis
Laryngitis
The Common Cold
Influenza (“Flu”)
Bronchitis
Pneumonia
Lung Abscess
Pulmonary Tuberculosis (“TB”)
INFECTIONS OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS)
Meningitis
Encephalitis
Brain Abscess
GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT INFECTIONS
Infectious Diarrhea and Food Poisoning
VIRAL HEPATITIS
Hepatitis A (HA)
Hepatitis B (HB)
Hepatitis C (HC)
Hepatitis D (HD)
Hepatitis E (HE)
UROGENITAL INFECTIONS AND SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES (STD)
UROGENITAL INFECTIONS
Lower Urinary Tract Infections (Lower UTI)
Pyelonephritis (Upper UTI)
Prostatitis
Bacterial Prostatitis
Epididymitis
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES (STD)
Chlamydia
Gonorrhea
Syphilis
Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTIONS (OIs)
BLOOD INFECTIONS AND RELATED DISEASES
Sepsis
Toxic Shock Syndrome
Infectious Mononucleosis
Fever of Unknown Origin (FUO)
BONE, JOINT AND MUSCLE INFECTIONS
(Pyogenic) Osteomyelitis
Infectious Arthritis
Gas Gangrene (Clostridial Myonecrosis)
Tetanus
ARTHROPOD-BORNE AND ZOONOTIC INFECTIONS
Lyme Disease
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF)
Malaria
Rabies
Other Arthropod-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases
Chapter 1: High-yield Questions (HYQ)
Chapter 2 DISEASES OF THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
PEARLS: IMPORTANT DIFFERENTIATIONS OF CHEST PAIN
ARRHYTHMIAS
ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE (IHD)
—CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE (CAD)
Angina Pectoris
Myocardial Infarction (MI)
Right Ventricular Myocardial Infarction
Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS)
HEART FAILURE (HF)
HYPERLIPIDEMIA
SYSTEMIC HYPERTENSION
PULMONARY HEART DISEASE (COR PULMONALE)
ENDOCARDIAL AND VALVULAR HEART DISEASES
Endocarditis
Rheumatic Fever
VALVULAR HEART DISEASES
Mitral Stenosis (MS)
Mitral Regurgitation (MR)
Aortic Stenosis (AS)
Aortic Regurgitation (AR)
Tricuspid Stenosis (TS)
Tricuspid Regurgitation (TR)
Pulmonary Stenosis (PS)
Pulmonic Regurgitation (PR)
CONGENITAL HEART DISEASES
Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)
Atrial Septal Defect (ASD)
Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA)
Coarctation of the Aorta (CA)
Tetralogy of Fallot (Fallot Tetralogy)
Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA)
Persistent Truncus Arteriosus (PTA)
Tricuspid Atresia (TA)
Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
Kartagener Syndrome (KS) or Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD)
MYOCARDIAL DISEASES
Myocarditis
Cardiomyopathies
Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM)
PERICARDIAL DISEASES
Acute Pericarditis
Pericardial Effusion
Cardiac Tamponade
Constrictive Pericarditis
VASCULAR DISEASES
Aortic Dissection
Aortic Aneurisms (AA)
Peripheral Vascular Diseases (PVD)
Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT)
