Anaesthetics Flashcards
Why are patients fasted before GA/operations?
- Empty stomach reduced reflux into oropharynx + aspirating into trachea
- Prevent pneumonitis and aspiration pneumonia
How long before operations are patients fasted for?
- 6 hours-> no food
- 2 hours before-> no clear fluids
What is pre-oxygenation?
- Few minutes of 100% oxygen during GA
- Gives O2 reserve for when unconscious + intubating
What is the triad of general anaesthesia?
Hypnosis + muscle relaxation + analgesia
What ‘premedications’ are given in GA?
- Benzos (eg midazolam)-> relax muscles + anxiety, amnesia
- Opiates (fentanyl)-> analgesia + reduce response to laryngoscope
- Alpha-2 adrenergic agonists (eg clonidine)-> sedation + pain
What is rapid sequence induction and when is it done?
- Quick + safe control of airway using drugs to induce neuromuscular blocking + immediate unresponsive + cricoid pressure
- Emergencies or when reflux risk (not fasted or pregnancy)
- Higher risk of aspiration
What is used for the hypnosis aspect of GA?
- IV-> propofol, ketamine, thiopental sodium
- Volatile agents-> sevofluorane
- Often IV for induction + inhaled to maintain
- Or TIVA (total IV anaesthetic)
What is TIVA?
Total IV anaesthesia-> propofol usually + better recovery
What is used for the muscle relaxation aspect of GA?
- Depolarising-> suxamethonium
- Non-depolarising-> rocuronium, atracurium
- Block NMJ
How can muscle relaxant agents used in GA be reversed?
- Neostigmine for NMJ blockers
- Sugammadex-> for non-depolarising
What is used for analgesia in GA?
Opiates-> fentanyl, alfentanil, morphine
What antiemetics are commonly used in GA?
- Ondansetron-> 5HT3 antagonist
- Dexamethasone-> steroid
- Cyclizine-> H1 receptor antagonist
When should ondansetron be avoided?
Long QT syndrome (or risk of)
When should dexamethasone be avoided?
Diabetes or immunocompromised
When should cyclizine be avoided?
Heart failure or elderly
How can the wearing off of muscle relaxants be tested during GA emergence?
Nerve stimulator-> test muscle response (ulnar/facial nerve) + see if train-of-four (if strong after 4 goes)
What are some of the risks of GA?
- Sore throat
- N+V
- Awareness
- Aspiration
- Dental injury
- Anaphylaxis
- CV events
- Malignant hyperthermia
What is Malignant hyperthermia?
Rare but fatal hypermetabolic response to anaesthetics (volatile + suxamethonium usually)
What can put a patient at risk of Malignant hyperthermia?
Family history-> autosomal dominant mutation
What are the symptoms and signs of Malignant hyperthermia?
- Increased temp
- Increased CO exhalation
- Tachycardia
- Muscle rigidity
- Acidosis
- Hyperkalaemia
What is a peripheral nerve block?
- Local anaesthetic into area around nerve
- Distal area numbed
- Done under US guidance
- May use nerve stimulator to check
What is a spinal block?
- Central neuraxial anaesthesia
- Local anaesthetic into CSF within subarachnoid space (L3/4 or L4/5)
Where is a spinal block inserted?
L3/4 or L4/5-> below spinal cord
How is a spinal block tested?
Cold spray along area
When might spinal block be performed?
- Caesarian
- TURPs
- Hip fracture repair
What is epidural anaesthesia?
- In labour or post-op after laparotomy
- LA infused into epidural space (outside dura)
- Goes into spinal cord + tissues
What medications are used in epidural anaesthesia?
Levobupivacaine +/- fentanyl
What is a dural tap?
When dura punctured + CSF leaks during epidural
What are the side effects of epidural anaesthesia?
- Hypotension
- Motor weakness in legs
- Nerve damage
- Infection
- Haematoma
- Headache (dural tap)
What are the risks of using epidural anaesthesia in labour?
- Prolonged 2nd stage
- Increased probability of instrumental delivery
What might indicate that epidural anaesthesia has been inserted into the wrong place?
Unable to straight leg raise-> may be in CSF (spinal block)
What is used for LA?
Lidocaine
When might LA be used?
- Skin sutures
- Minor surgery
- Dental + hand surgery
- LP
- Central line
What is endotracheal intubation?
- ETT is flexible tube with cuff (balloon) inflated by syringe
- Used for mechanical ventilation in GA
How might an endotracheal tube be guided in?
- Laryngoscope (eg McGrath)
- Bougie-> plastic
- Stylet-> stiff metal wire
- Awake fibre-optic intubation-> through nose or mouth, eg during trismus
What are supraglottic airway devices?
- Laryngeal mask airway (LMA) or I-Gel
- Alternative to ETT
- Tip at top of oesophagus + cuff around larynx
What is an oropharyngeal airway?
- Guedel-> rigid + create air passage between teeth + base of tongue
- Use to ventilate with face mask + bag before SAD/ETT
How are guedel airways inserted?
- Measured from centre of mouth to angle of jaw
- Upside down + rotate past tongue
What is a nasopharyngeal airway?
Flexible tube through nose + create airway to pharynx
How is nasopharyngeal airway measured?
Edge of nostril to tragus of ear
What is a major risk of nasopharyngeal airway?
Epistaxis
What is a contraindication of nasopharyngeal airway?
Base of skull fracture
How is a tracheostomy performed?
- Direct access to trachea through hole
- Held in place with stitches or soft tie
- Under GA or LA
- Outer (stays in place) + inner (can clean/change) tube
What are the 4 steps of managing a difficult airway?
- Laryngoscopy + tracheal intubation
- Supraglottic airway device
- Face mask ventilation + wake up
- Cricothyroidotomy
What is an arterial line and why is it used?
- Cannula in artery (eg radial)
- Accurately monitor BP
- Take ABGs
- NOT to put meds in
What is a central line?
- Central venous catheter
- Long thin tube with 3-5 lumens
- In large vein-> internal jugular, subclavian, femoral-> vena cava
- Give medications
- Take samples
What is a PICC line?
- Peripherally inserted central catheter
- Long thin tube into peripheral vein-> tip into IVC or RA
- 1-2 lumens
What is a tunnelled central venous catheter?
- Eg-> Hickmann line
- Long + thin-> enters skin on chest + into SC tissue-> tip in SVC/RA
- Cuff when more permanent
What is a pulmonary artery catheter?
- Through central vein, right heart then pulmonary artery
- Close cardiac function monitoring
What is a portacath?
- Type of central venous catheter
- Port under skin of chest to access
- Tip in SVC or RA
- Needle through skin into port for injections/infusions
- Long term eg chemo
What is the definition of pain?
Unpleasant sensory + emotional experience associated with or resembling acute or potential tissue damage
What should be considered even though pain is thought to be subjective?
- Everyone handles differently
- Accept the patient’s experience even when no underlying cause/tissue damage