Practice Test Geeks(BCA) Board of Certification in Anesthesiology Practice Test
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Cardiovascular Anesthesia 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 Cardiovascular Anesthesia flashcards as text

  1. A patient with severe aortic stenosis (AVA 0.6 cm²) presents for urgent hip fracture repair. The SAFEST anesthetic approach is:

    Answer: Peripheral nerve block with light sedation

    Peripheral nerve block avoids the precipitous hemodynamic changes (hypotension, vasodilation) associated with neuraxial or general anesthesia in severe AS.

  2. The Fick principle for cardiac output measurement requires measurement of:

    Answer: Oxygen consumption and arteriovenous oxygen content difference

    The Fick principle states CO = VO2 / (CaO2 - CvO2), requiring measurement of oxygen consumption and the arteriovenous oxygen content difference.

  3. Which patient population has the greatest risk of ventricular fibrillation during weaning from hypothermic CPB?

    Answer: Patients whose core temperature is below 35°C during weaning

    Hypothermia below 35°C increases myocardial irritability and lowers the threshold for ventricular fibrillation during CPB weaning.

  4. An intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) improves coronary perfusion by:

    Answer: Inflating during diastole to augment diastolic pressure

    IABP inflates during diastole, augmenting diastolic pressure and thus coronary perfusion pressure (coronary arteries fill during diastole).

  5. Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is confirmed in a patient scheduled for CABG. The preferred anticoagulant for CPB is:

    Answer: Bivalirudin with ACT-guided dosing

    Bivalirudin is the preferred direct thrombin inhibitor for CPB in HIT patients due to its short half-life, predictable pharmacokinetics, and ACT monitorability.

  6. During minimally invasive cardiac surgery using femoral CPB, the primary risk unique to this approach is:

    Answer: Retrograde embolization of atherosclerotic debris

    Retrograde arterial flow from femoral cannulation can dislodge and embolize atheromatous plaque from the descending or thoracic aorta.

  7. Which finding on intraoperative TEE would prompt immediate surgical revision after mitral valve repair?

    Answer: Systolic anterior motion (SAM) with LVOT gradient >50 mmHg

    SAM causing LVOT gradient >50 mmHg represents significant obstruction and hemodynamic compromise requiring surgical revision or additional repair.