Anaesthesia Flashcards
All vaporiser dials turn _________ to increase the concentration.
Anticlockwise
Name some safety features on vaporisers
- Keyed filling system
- Colour coded
- Interlock system
- Anti-tip device
- Back pressure
What is the composition of medical air?
21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen & 1% argon
Define local anaesthesia
Patient is awake but only the specific body part being operated on is numbed, using either topical or injected (infiltration) anaesthetic
Define conscious sedation
Sedative and/or opioid drugs given to sedate patient during a procedure, however patient is still awake and can follow instructions if necessary
Define regional anaesthesia
A specific portion of the body is numbed using injectable local anaesthetic
Define general anaesthesia
Triad of anaesthesia (sometimes without relaxation) used to make patients ‘asleep’ for surgery, either IV or inhalation anaesthetic is used.
Two types of local anaesthetic
Topical and infiltration
How does topical local anaesthetic work?
Absorbed through the tissues, targets free nerve endings within the dermis or mucosa causing temporary loss of sensation
Commonly used infiltration local anaesthetics
- Lignocaine
- Ropivicaine
- Bupivicaine/Levobupivicaine
- Articaine
How do you extend duration two-fold of infiltration local anaesthesia?
Mix with a vasoconstrictor (such as epinephrine)
Conscious sedation is commonly used in:
Dentistry and colonoscopy or upper GI endoscopy
Commonly used IV sedation
Benzodiazepines (such as midazolam) or opiates (such as fentanyl/pethidine)
For a spinal, local anaesthetic is injected into:
The subarachnoid space
Spinal is used for surgery where?
Below umbilicus
Most commonly used anaesthetics for spinal are:
- Bupivacaine
- Levobupivacaine
What are added to spinal and epidural anaesthetic to prolong and intensify anaesthetic effects?
Opiates
For an epidural, local anaesthetic is injected into:
The epidural space - between ligamentum flavum and dura mater
What is the most commonly used anaesthetic for epidural?
Levobupivacaine
Clinician knows they are in the correct space for a spinal through:
Appearance of CSF
What gives a headache due to puncture of dura mater?
Spinal
Which regional anaesthesia can be administered at any level of the vertebral column?
Epidural
Which regional anaesthesia is administered below L1/L2, where spinal cord ends?
Spinal
Clinician knows they are
in the correct space for an epidural through:
Loss of resistance in syringe
General anaesthetic obtained using:
Analgesic and hypnotic (and sometimes muscle relaxing) drugs
Which type of anaesthetic takes longer to have an effect - spinal or epidural?
Epidural
