Anesthetist Flashcards
7 cards from real CMSRN practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Anesthetist flashcards as text
A patient is receiving epidural analgesia post-operatively and develops sudden onset weakness in both legs with loss of bowel and bladder function. What is the MOST likely complication?
Answer: Epidural hematoma compressing the spinal cord
New neurological deficits (bilateral leg weakness, bowel/bladder dysfunction) after epidural placement are signs of epidural hematoma requiring emergency intervention.
When monitoring a patient under general anesthesia, what does a sustained increase in end-tidal CO2 (EtCO2) MOST likely indicate?
Answer: Inadequate ventilation or increased CO2 production
A sustained rise in EtCO2 indicates either hypoventilation (insufficient minute ventilation) or increased metabolic CO2 production such as in malignant hyperthermia.
A patient receiving ketamine anesthesia is most likely to experience which unique emergence phenomenon?
Answer: Dissociative reactions and vivid hallucinations
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that commonly causes emergence reactions including hallucinations, vivid dreams, and disorientation upon recovery.
Which anesthetic agent is the drug of choice for patients with a history of malignant hyperthermia susceptibility?
Answer: Propofol-based total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA)
Propofol-based TIVA avoids all volatile halogenated anesthetics and succinylcholine, which are the known triggers for malignant hyperthermia.
A nurse notices that dantrolene is requested urgently in the OR. This medication is the specific treatment for which anesthesia emergency?
Answer: Malignant hyperthermia
Dantrolene sodium is the specific antidote for malignant hyperthermia, working by inhibiting calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum in muscle cells.
After extubation in the PACU, a patient develops high-pitched inspiratory stridor and increasing respiratory distress. The MOST likely cause is:
Answer: Laryngospasm
High-pitched inspiratory stridor immediately after extubation is classic for laryngospasm, a forceful involuntary closure of the vocal cords.
Which preoperative medication is routinely administered to reduce the risk of pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents in patients with a full stomach?
Answer: Sodium citrate (non-particulate antacid)
Sodium citrate neutralizes gastric acid, reducing the risk of aspiration pneumonitis (Mendelson's syndrome) if aspiration occurs during rapid sequence induction.