Luujuu
Asystole — The Medical Card Game by Doctors, for Doctors (English Edition)
Asystole — The Medical Card Game by Doctors, for Doctors (English Edition)
Couldn't load pickup availability
A describe-and-guess card game for medics. Two hundred cards. Eight hundred medical terms. Twenty-plus specialities. Made by three Oxford-trained physicians. Comenius EduMedia Award winner.
If you have played Taboo, you already know how Asystole works. One player describes a medical term — tachycardia, thrombolysis, polypharmacy — without using the five forbidden words on the card. The team races a 90-second ECG sand timer. Beat the timer, keep the card. Run out of time, lose it to the other team.
Three audiences. One game.
Better than another revision deck.
OSCE communication stations. MRCP Part 1 vocabulary blocks. The clinical-skills practical you can revise for in the kitchen of your house-share. Asystole sharpens differential diagnosis recall, plain-language explanation, and time-pressured thinking — without feeling like another revision session.
The mess-room game that doesn't infantilise.
F1, F2, IMT, ST, consultants, GPs, AHPs. Every level finds cards that punish complacency. Plays at the kitchen table, in the doctors' mess, at the conference dinner that ran too long, on a quiet on-call.
Replaces the stethoscope mug.
If someone in your life is a medical student, a junior doctor, or working in healthcare — and you have run out of ideas that aren't another anatomy notebook — Asystole is the gift they actually want. Comes in a printed gift-ready box. Add a personalised note at checkout.
A round, in four steps
Two teams
Split into two teams of two to four. House rule: the team that laughs loudest wins twice.
Draw and describe
One player draws a card with a medical term and five forbidden words. They describe the term to their team without saying any of the forbidden words.
Beat the timer
Flip the ECG sand timer. Roughly ninety seconds. Guess in time, keep the card. Flatline first, the other team can steal it.
First to ten wins
Play continues until one team collects ten cards or the deck runs out. The team with more cards wins the round.
In the box
- 200 medical term cards — 800 forbidden words across cardiology, neurology, surgery, paediatrics, psychiatry, obstetrics & gynaecology, emergency medicine, anaesthesiology, dermatology, ophthalmology, ENT, and over a dozen more specialities.
- One ECG-themed sand timer — drawn from a real heart-rate trace. The asystole flatline is the moment your team loses the card.
- One rules sheet — in English. Reads in 60 seconds. Designed in the style of a medication leaflet because the founders found it funny.
- A premium printed box — sized to live on a bookshelf, not in a drawer. Gift-ready as it ships, no extra wrapping required.
From medics who have played it
"Best gift my parents ever gave me. Played it three times in the same week with my study group. We now have running jokes about cards we keep blanking on."
Verified Amazon review · medical student, German edition
"Bought it for my partner who is a junior doctor. Watched him laugh harder at this than at anything I have given him in four years. He has taken it to two ward Christmas parties since."
Verified Amazon review · gift purchase
"Studying for my final exams and this is genuinely useful. Practising explanations under time pressure with friends has made me much better at OSCE-style stations."
Verified Amazon review · final-year medical student
"As a clinical educator I was looking for something that would keep a Friday afternoon seminar group awake. Asystole more than delivered. We now run a tournament at the end of every revision block."
Verified Amazon review · medical educator
200+ verified reviews across Amazon Germany and Amazon UK · 4.5 stars blended.
Made by physicians, for physicians
Asystole was created by three Oxford-trained physicians who got tired of medical Latin lectures and started prototyping the game on hospital break-room tables.
- Dr Johanna Ludwig
- Co-founder · trauma surgeon · Oxford alumna
- Dr Sven Jungmann
- Co-founder · physician-entrepreneur · founder of Aiomics · Oxford alumnus
- Dr Ryan Purdy
- Co-author of the English edition · Oxford alumnus
The German edition won the Comenius EduMedia Award, was adopted by medical students across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and became a fixture at white-coat ceremonies and graduation parties. The English edition brings the same game to medics in the UK, Ireland, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand — and to international medical students preparing for OSCEs, MRCP, USMLE, PLAB, or international residency. Published by Luujuu UG, a Berlin imprint dedicated to making medicine more learnable, and a little more human.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the English edition for?
Medical students and doctors who work or study in English: medics in the UK, Ireland, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Also used by international medical students and doctors preparing for OSCEs, MRCP, MRCGP, FRCS, USMLE, PLAB, or international residency. The game also works for nurses, paramedics, pharmacists, and physiotherapists. It is not designed for medical laypeople — without medical training, most cards are too specialised to guess.
How is Asystole different from Taboo?
The mechanic is the same as classic word-guessing games — describe a word without using five forbidden ones — but every card in Asystole is a real medical term, the timer is an ECG sand glass, and the forbidden words are the most common terms a medic would reach for first. This forces players to use clinical reasoning, alternative phrasing, and patient-friendly language under time pressure. It doubles as OSCE-style practice without feeling like exam prep.
Is it useful for OSCEs, MRCP, USMLE, or PLAB preparation?
Yes. The game forces clear, time-pressured medical explanations using plain language — exactly what OSCE communication stations test, and what the patient-facing scenarios in MRCP PACES, USMLE Step 2 CK, and PLAB Part 2 demand. Many medical students integrate Asystole into revision blocks because it sharpens differential diagnosis vocabulary, plain-language explanations, and time-pressured recall — while feeling like a break, not another study session.
How many people can play?
Four to eight players, divided into two teams. A round takes 10 to 60 minutes depending on house rules. Plays well as 2v2, 3v3, or 4v4. Larger groups still work — rounds just take longer.
Is Asystole a good gift?
Asystole is one of the most-gifted items at white-coat ceremonies, graduation, Foundation Programme start, MRCP and OSCE pass parties, ward farewells, Secret Santa exchanges on hospital wards, and birthdays of medical students or junior doctors.
What if they already have one?
Asystole comes in three editions — English, German, and Pflege (the German nursing edition). They are not duplicates of each other. If your recipient already owns one, the others are still useful — particularly for international medical students preparing for residency abroad, or for medical educators teaching mixed-language groups. Use code BUNDLE2 at checkout for 10% off two editions, or BUNDLE3 for 15% off all three.
Where does it ship from? How long to UK / EU / US / Australia?
Asystole ships from Berlin, Germany, with full tracking. Standard delivery times: 2 to 4 working days within the EU, 5 to 7 working days to the UK and Switzerland, 7 to 10 working days to the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. UK customers: import VAT for orders under £135 is collected at point of sale. Customs and import duties for orders outside the EU and UK are the buyer's responsibility. 30-day no-questions returns (buyer pays return shipping for international orders).
Is the box gift-ready?
Yes. The box is printed and finished as a gift-ready item — clean cardboard, embossed Asystole logo, the kind of object a medic will keep on their desk or shelf. No additional wrapping required. Personalised gift messages can be added at checkout.
Other editions
Asystole — German Edition
200 cards in German, oriented to the German Approbationsordnung. Comenius EduMedia Award winner. For medics across DACH, or international students preparing for German residency.
Asystole Pflege
200 cards specific to nursing practice — Krankenhauspflege, Altenpflege, Intensivpflege. The right gift for a nursing student, examined nurse, or ward team. German.
Buying for several medics in your life? Use BUNDLE2 for 10% off two editions or BUNDLE3 for 15% off all three. Codes apply at checkout.
Made by physicians. Printed in Europe. Shipped from Berlin. Returns accepted for 30 days, no questions.
Asystole is published by Luujuu UG. Taboo is a registered trademark of Hersch and Company; Asystole is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Hasbro or Hersch and Company.
Materials
Materials
Shipping & Returns
Shipping & Returns
Dimensions
Dimensions
Care Instructions
Care Instructions
-
Free Shipping
Pair text with an image to focus on your chosen product, collection, or blog post. Add details on availability, style, or even provide a review.
-
Hassle-Free Exchanges
Pair text with an image to focus on your chosen product, collection, or blog post. Add details on availability, style, or even provide a review.