Anaesthetics, Acute Medicine and Critical Care Flashcards
What does ASA status refer to?
The wellness of patients undergoing anaesthetic.
- A normal healthy patient
- Patient with mild systemic disease
- Patient with severe systemic disease
- Severe systemic disease, constant threat to life
- Morbid patient who is not expected to survive without the operation
- A patient who has already been declared brain dead and whose organs are being removed for transplant
Give 5 medications that need to be stopped pre-op?
- ACE-inhibitors
- ARBs
- Anti-platelets
- Warfarin
- DOAC
What should be enquired about specifically in a family history pre-op?
Malignant Hyperpyrexia
What is NCEPOD?
National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death
When taking an anaesthetic history what are some specific history questions that should be asked?
- Exercise tolerance
- Weight
- Smoking
- Allergies
What is Mallampati?
A measure of how much a person’s mouth opens to visual aspects of the back of the throat
What are the 3 main types of drugs used in anaesthetics?
- Hypnotics
- Analgesics
- Muscle Relaxants
What are airway related risk factors?
- Obesity
- Bad teeth
- Beard
- Snoring
What airway manoeuvre should not be done in a c-spine injury?
Head tilt-chin lift
What is the thyromental distance?
Distance from tip of your chin to the tip of thyroid cartilage. <6cm increases difficulty
Where should the guedel be measured from?
Incisors to angle of mandible
What is a definitive airway and give an example?
ET Tube
The cuff is inflated below the vocal cords to allow for oxygen enriched ventilation
When should warfarin be stopped prior to surgery?
5 days, and bridged with LMWH
What is a complication of ET tube removal?
Laryngospasm - a spasming of the vocal cords that stops oxygen entry
What are some risk factors for post-operative nausea and vomiting?
- Female
- Previous PONV
- Opiates
- Gynae/Abdo/Laparotomy
- Non-smoker
What anti-emetics are used during surgery?
Dexamethasone 4-8mg
Ondansetron 4-8mg
What are the three levels of care?
1 - Ward
2 - HDU
3 - ITU
How do you know an intubation is successful?
- Misting of O2 mask
- Rise and fall of chest bilaterally
- Saw vocal cords on ET insertion
- Internal CO2
- SpO2 increase
What is the difference in a RSI from a normal intubation?
Cricoid pressure - provided by an assistant, pushes the trachea against the oesophagus to prevent upflow of stomach contents., it is removed once cuff inflated
What are the different levels that a spinal and epidural are done at?
Spinal - BELOW the level of the spinal cord L2-S2 (spinal cord ends at L1). Side effects include hypotension, sensory of motor block
Epidural - usually below L1, this is an indwelling catheter that provides a continuous infusion. It does however confine the patient to bed.
What are some contraindications to spinal or an epidural?
Anticoagulated states, local sepsis, shock, raised ICP, hypovolaemia
What is the maximum dose of lidocaine 1% that can be given? In a 70kg gentleman what is the max volume?
3mg/kg
21ml
What does lidocaine 1% mean?
1% means there is 1 gram (1000mg) in 100mL
10mg in 1ml
How do you manage local anaesthetic toxicity?
Intralipid
Control seizures with benzos/phenytoin, ABCDE
What are some symptoms of local anaesthetic toxicity?
Tongue numbness, lightheadedness, muscular twitching, unconsciousness, cardiac/resp failure
What two drugs are used to increase BP during surgery?
Ephedrine - increases HR as well
Metaraminol - vasoconstriction, decreases HR
Give five methods of oxygen delivery.
Room air Nasal prongs Hudson's, Venturi, Non-rebreather NIV (BiPAP, CPAP) Intrubation
Give 5 signs of hypovolaemia
Tachycardia, hypotension, reduced skin turgor and dry mucous membranes, reduced urine output
What is the calculation for Plasma Osmolality?
2(Na + K) + Glucose + Urea
Should be around 290mOsM
What are the two types of IV fluids?
Crystalloid
Colloid (albumin, blood, clotting factors)
What is your daily requirement for K, Cl, Na?
1mmol/kg/day
How do you calculate maintenance fluids?
First 10kg (100mls per kg) Second 10kg (50mls per kg) Remaining weight (20mls per kg)
What is involved in fluid resus?
500ml crystalloid bolus in under 15 minutes
Repeat up to 2L then seek senior opinion
What is a contraindication for nasopharyngeal airway?
Basal skull fracture
What is involved in Airway management in acutely ill patients?
- assess patency of airway - is patient speaking
- obstructions?
- listen - wheeze, gurgle, snoring, stridor, silence
- increased work of breathing?
Act by maintaining a patent airway - head tilt/chin lift or jaw thrust, remove foreign bodies
- if this fails then consider airway adjuncts such as a guedel, nasopharyngeal tube or I-gel.
- give O2 15L non-rebreather
What is involved in Breathing management in acutely ill patients?
- if not already, consider O2
- chect SpO2 and respiration rate
- is the patient cyanotic
What is involved in Circulation management in acutely ill patients?
- measure BP, HR, pulse strength and rhythm, cap refill, ABG, bloods
- establish peripheral access 14 or 16G and use this for bloods
- give fluids 500mls warmed crystalloid over 15 minutes, can give up to 2L
- ECG
- urine output
What is involved in Disability management in acutely ill patients?
- AVPU/GCS
- pupils
- drugs
- diabetes
What is involved in Exposure management in acutely ill patients?
- check temperature
- full examination for trauma, bleeding, head injury, rashes
- swelling, oedema
- obs
You are called to view a patient who is scoring a 7 on their observations. They have a fever and recent fall. What is the first thing you do to access them?
ABCDE
What is GCS and what makes up the different sections?
Glasgow Coma Scale
Motor (6) - Obeying commands, localises, withdraws, flexion, extension, none
Verbal (5) - Spontaneous, Confused, Inappropriate, Noises, None
Eyes (4) - Spontaneous, Verbal, Pain, None
What are the 6 stages of motor assessment in GCS?
6 - Obeying commands 5 - Localises to pain 4 - Withdraws - normal 3 - Flexion - abnormal decorticate 2 - Extension - decerebral 1 - None
What is the lowest you can score on GCS?
3
What does AVPU stand for?
Alert
Verbal
Pain
Unresponsive
What does AVPU stand for?
Alert
Verbal
Pain
Unresponsive
How can you check pain response?
- Jaw thrust
- Trapezius Squeeze
- Supraorbital pressure
- Sternal rub
What is the formula for a choking patient?
5 back slaps
5 stomach thrusts
What is the breath/compression ratio in a child?
Adult?
Child: 5 rescue breaths, then 2 breaths for 15 chest compressions
2 rescue breaths, 30 chest compressions
What does haemoglobin need to be to indicate a transfusion is needed?
Hb <90 and a history of ischaemic heart disease
Hb <70
What are the different fluid compartments in the body?
Intracellular Fluid - K+
Extracellular Fluid (1/3 of TBW) - Na+ and Cl-
- Interstitial Fluid - 80% of ECF
- Plasma Volume - 20% of ECF
How does ADH work?
Produced in response to high plasma osmolality or low BP.
Targets V2 renal collecting tubules to incorporate aquaporin channels into the membrane to allow water reabsorption.
What are considered normal levels of K+, Na+ and Cl-?
- K+ = 4.5
- Na+ = 140
- Cl- = 105
How much fluid should an adult have per kg per day?
25-30ml/kg/day water so on average 2-3L
What are some complications of a spinal anaesthetic?
- Total spinal block
- Urinary retention
- Permanent neurological damage
What is the maximum dose of lidocaine with adrenaline that can be given?
7mg/kg
What are some crucial pieces of information needed regarding incoming trauma patients?
ATMIST A: age of patient, gender T: time: of incident, ETA M: mechanism of accident I: injury S: signs, obs T: treatment
What are you priorities in a trauma patient?
Stop bleeding
C-spine stabilisation
Prevent hypoxia
What is proven to increase survival in major haemorrhage patients?
Transexamic Acid 1g IV over 10 minutes
What is a FAST scan?
Focussed Assessment with Sonography in Trauma
Series of USS scans to look for acute injuries or bleeds
What are common places for bleeds in major haemorrhage?
Pelvis
Pericardium
Peritoneal Cavity - hepatorenal recess (Morrison’s Pouch), paracolic gutter, hepato-diaphragm area, caudal edge of liver
What is your acute management procedure for a tension pneumothorax?
What is a common cause?
Needle decompression thoracocentesis
Mid-clavicular line, 2nd intercostal space
A common cause is a mechanical ventilation in a pleural injury
What are three signs you may see on someone with a pneumothorax?
Absent breath sounds Asymmetrical chest Tracheal tug Hyperresonance Decreased saturations
Where are chest drains inserted?
Mid-axillary line, 5th intercostal space
Saldinger - use of a guidewire to insert the drain
What constitutes a major haemorrhage?
> 1500ml blood in the pleural cavity
Treat with chest drain and immediate blood transfusion
What are 4 signs of a cardiac tamponade?
Tachycardia
Raised JVP
Hypotension (resistant to fluid therapy)
Muffled Heart Sounds
Where should you avoid cannulating in known diabetics?
Foot
What is a risk of giving too much fluids post-surgery?
Hyperchloraemic acidosis
What is a paralytic ileus?
The lack of peristalsis, can occur as a complication of bowel surgery, causes constipation, distended abdomen, vomiting, absent bowel sounds