Best Practices & Standard Procedures Flashcards

According to ASA guidelines on obstetric anesthesia, which intervention is recommended when a parturient develops significant hypotension after spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery?

Answer: Administer phenylephrine or ephedrine and provide IV fluid

ASA guidelines support treating spinal-induced hypotension in obstetric patients with vasopressors (phenylephrine preferred to preserve uteroplacental blood flow) combined with IV fluid administration.

Which practice is recommended by ASA to reduce the risk of retained surgical items and handoff errors during anesthesia care transitions?

Answer: Structured handoff protocols with verbal and written communication

ASA guidelines recommend structured handoff protocols that include both verbal and written communication to ensure complete transfer of critical patient information and reduce adverse events.

The ASA practice guidelines on sedation and analgesia recommend that practitioners administering deep sedation should have skills to perform which rescue intervention?

Answer: Bag-mask ventilation and tracheal intubation

Practitioners providing deep sedation must be capable of rescuing patients from general anesthesia, which requires proficiency in bag-mask ventilation and tracheal intubation.

Per ASA guidelines on the management of the difficult airway, awake intubation is preferred over intubation after induction of anesthesia when:

Answer: Significant difficulty with ventilation or intubation is anticipated

Awake intubation is the recommended strategy when the anesthesiologist anticipates significant difficulty with both mask ventilation and tracheal intubation, preserving spontaneous respiration.

Which ASA guideline addresses the recommendation that all operating rooms have a defibrillator or automatic external defibrillator (AED) immediately available?

Answer: ASA Guidelines for Office-Based Anesthesia

ASA Guidelines for Office-Based Anesthesia specifically require that a defibrillator or AED be immediately available in any facility providing anesthesia services outside the hospital.

According to ASA best practices, which patient population warrants particular consideration for 'enhanced recovery after surgery' (ERAS) protocols?

Answer: Patients undergoing major abdominal, colorectal, and thoracic surgery

ERAS protocols have the strongest evidence and greatest impact in patients undergoing major abdominal, colorectal, and thoracic surgery, where multimodal optimization significantly reduces length of stay and complications.

The ASA 'do-not-resuscitate' (DNR) guidelines in the perioperative setting recommend which approach when a patient with an existing DNR order requires surgery?

Answer: Require goal-directed reconsideration of the DNR order with the patient before surgery

ASA guidelines recommend 'required reconsideration' of DNR orders before surgery, where the anesthesiologist discusses the patient's goals and values to determine which resuscitative interventions the patient would accept in the perioperative context.