USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Examination) Step 1 Practice Exam

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What is a characteristic of a right-to-left shunt?

  1. Bypasses pulmonary circulation

  2. Bypasses systemic circulation

  3. Results in decreased oxygenation

  4. Associated with chronic inflammatory lung disease

The correct answer is: Bypasses pulmonary circulation

A right-to-left shunt refers to a condition where there is a pathway that allows blood to bypass the normal route through the lungs and instead go directly from the right side of the heart to the left side of the heart. This means that blood that bypasses the pulmonary circulation does not get oxygenated. As a result, the characteristic of a right-to-left shunt is that it leads to decreased oxygenation, making choice C the correct answer. In contrast, it is important to understand why the other options are incorrect: - Bypassing systemic circulation is not a characteristic of a right-to-left shunt. - Being associated with chronic inflammatory lung disease is not a typical feature of a right-to-left shunt.

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