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 having a procedure under spinal anesthesia and complains of a severe headache that worsens when sitting up and improves when lying flat. This presentation is MOST consistent with:
Answer: Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH)
Post-dural puncture headache is positional (worse upright, relieved supine) and results from CSF leakage through the dural puncture site reducing intracranial pressure.
During induction of anesthesia, the anesthesiologist requests cricoid pressure (Sellick maneuver). The nurse applies pressure to which landmark?
Answer: The cricoid cartilage to compress the esophagus
Cricoid pressure is applied to the cricoid cartilage to occlude the esophagus and prevent passive regurgitation of gastric contents during rapid sequence induction.
A patient's temperature rises to 40.2°C (104.4°F) intraoperatively, along with muscle rigidity, tachycardia, and rising EtCO2. The nurse should anticipate administration of:
Answer: Dantrolene sodium 2.5 mg/kg IV and discontinue volatile anesthetics
This clinical picture is malignant hyperthermia; dantrolene is the specific antidote and all triggering agents (volatile anesthetics, succinylcholine) must be immediately discontinued.
Which assessment is the nurse's PRIMARY responsibility when monitoring a patient receiving IV moderate sedation per institutional protocol?
Answer: Continuously monitoring level of consciousness, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation
The dedicated monitoring nurse must continuously assess LOC, respiratory status, and oxygen saturation to detect early respiratory depression or over-sedation.
When preparing a patient for general anesthesia who takes daily aspirin, the nurse understands that aspirin is typically:
Answer: Continued for most procedures but stopped 7 days before neurosurgery or high bleeding-risk cases
Aspirin is often continued perioperatively for cardiac risk reduction, but is typically held 7-10 days before high bleeding-risk surgeries per surgeon and anesthesia team guidance.
A patient in the PACU is shivering uncontrollably following general anesthesia. Which medication is commonly administered to treat postanesthetic shivering?
Answer: Meperidine (Demerol) 12.5-25 mg IV
Low-dose meperidine is the most effective pharmacological treatment for postanesthetic shivering by acting on kappa opioid receptors and reducing the shivering threshold.
A patient is brought to the OR for an emergent procedure and states they last ate a full meal 2 hours ago. The anesthesia provider will MOST likely use which induction technique?
Answer: Awake fiber-optic intubation or rapid sequence induction (RSI)
RSI or awake intubation is used for patients at high aspiration risk (full stomach) to rapidly secure the airway and minimize the window for passive regurgitation.