Anesthesia Principles & Practices Flashcards
7 cards from real ABA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Anesthesia Principles & Practices flashcards as text
In a patient receiving a remifentanil infusion for total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA), the MOST important consideration at emergence is:
Answer: Transition to longer-acting analgesia before stopping infusion
Remifentanil's ultra-short half-life causes acute opioid offset; without bridging analgesia, patients awaken in severe pain.
A patient develops masseter muscle rigidity after succinylcholine administration. The MOST appropriate immediate action is:
Answer: Proceed cautiously, monitor for signs of malignant hyperthermia
Isolated masseter spasm after succinylcholine may be a normal variant or early MH sign; vigilant monitoring for tachycardia, hypercapnia, and temperature rise guides management.
The volume of distribution (Vd) of a drug is MOST influenced by:
Answer: Degree of tissue and plasma protein binding
Vd reflects how extensively a drug distributes into tissues versus remaining in plasma, heavily dependent on both tissue and plasma protein binding.
Which patient population has the GREATEST increase in sensitivity to non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents?
Answer: Patients with myasthenia gravis
Myasthenia gravis reduces functional acetylcholine receptors at the NMJ, so far fewer receptors need blocking to achieve neuromuscular block.
Cerebral autoregulation maintains constant cerebral blood flow over a MAP range of approximately:
Answer: 50–150 mmHg
In neurologically intact adults, cerebral autoregulation maintains CBF across MAPs of roughly 50–150 mmHg; outside this range, CBF becomes pressure-passive.
Which pharmacokinetic model BEST describes the behavior of propofol during prolonged infusion?
Answer: Three-compartment model with redistribution from deep peripheral compartment
Propofol distributes into central, rapidly-equilibrating, and slowly-equilibrating (deep peripheral) compartments; prolonged infusion saturates deep compartments, prolonging recovery.
The primary mechanism by which volatile anesthetics produce bronchodilation is:
Answer: Direct smooth muscle relaxation via reduced intracellular calcium
Volatile anesthetics relax airway smooth muscle primarily by decreasing intracellular calcium availability and reducing calcium sensitivity of contractile proteins.