Anesthesia Techniques & Patient Management Flashcards
7 cards from real BCA 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 Techniques & Patient Management flashcards as text
Which hemodynamic change is most expected during the induction of neuraxial anesthesia at the T4 level in an otherwise healthy adult?
Answer: Hypotension and bradycardia
A T4 block abolishes cardioaccelerator fibers (T1-T4) and causes vasodilation, resulting in both bradycardia and hypotension.
A patient develops masseter muscle rigidity immediately after succinylcholine administration. The most appropriate next management step is:
Answer: Switch to a TIVA technique and monitor temperature and end-tidal CO2
Masseter spasm after succinylcholine is a potential MH warning sign; discontinuing volatile agents and switching to TIVA while monitoring for MH is the safest immediate strategy.
The Mallampati classification assesses which anatomical structures?
Answer: Visibility of the soft palate, uvula, and faucial pillars
The Mallampati score classifies airway difficulty based on the visibility of oropharyngeal structures: soft palate, uvula, and faucial pillars.
During a laparoscopic procedure, sudden-onset hypotension and hypoxia occur after insufflation. Which diagnosis should be considered first?
Answer: CO2 gas embolism
CO2 gas embolism is a serious complication of laparoscopy that can cause sudden cardiovascular collapse and hypoxia due to obstruction of the right heart outflow.
Which parameter best guides intraoperative fluid resuscitation in a goal-directed fluid therapy (GDT) protocol?
Answer: Stroke volume variation (SVV) or pulse pressure variation (PPV)
SVV and PPV are dynamic predictors of fluid responsiveness that outperform static measures like CVP in mechanically ventilated patients.
A patient requires surgery but reports a latex allergy. Which intervention is most critical in preoperative planning?
Answer: Schedule the case as the first case of the day in a latex-safe environment
Scheduling a latex-allergic patient as the first case minimizes residual latex particle contamination from prior cases in the OR environment.
Which mechanism explains why nitrous oxide (N2O) is avoided in patients with a suspected pneumothorax?
Answer: N2O diffuses into air-filled spaces faster than nitrogen leaves, expanding them
N2O is 34 times more soluble than nitrogen in blood, causing it to diffuse into closed gas spaces rapidly and expand them, worsening a pneumothorax.