Anesthesia Flashcards
Define general anesthesia.
A reversible state of CNS depression, where the patient is in an amnestic state resulting in the loss of response to external stimuli and pain.
What are the five cardinal benefits of anesthesia?
- Sedation and reduction of anxiety.
- Lack of awareness and amnesia.
- Skeletal muscle relaxation.
- Suppression of undesirable reflexes.
- Analgesia.
Is there an anesthetic agent capable of achieving all five of the cardinal benefits of anesthesia?
No.
What are the two factors that determine the selection of anesthesia?
- Status of organ systems.
- Concomitant use of drugs.
How do anesthetic agents affect the cardiovascular system?
They suppress the cardiovascular system’s function.
Why must vasoactive substances sometimes be administered with anesthetics?
To counteract the cardiovascular suppression by anesthetics.
What cardiovascular conditions require careful consideration when selecting anesthesia?
Coronary artery disease.
Heart failure.
Dysrhythmias.
Valvular disease.
Any other cardiovascular diseases.
In what way do inhaled anesthetics impact the respiratory system?
They depress the respiratory system and reduce the ventilatory response to CO2.
How are anesthetics classified based on their effect on the airway?
- Pungent (airway irritant).
- Non-pungent.
Why are some anesthetics considered hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic?
Due to their damaging effects on the liver and kidneys due to the release of metabolites like fluoride and bromide from halogenated hydrocarbons.
Which nervous system conditions influence anesthesia selection?
Epilepsy.
Myasthenia gravis.
Neuromuscular disease.
Compromised cerebral circulation.
How does nitrous oxide affect pregnancy?
Causes aplastic anemia.
What fetal risks are associated with benzodiazepines during pregnancy?
Oral clefts and floppy baby syndrome (temporary hypotonia) in the fetus.
What are examples of muscle relaxants used in anesthesia?
NMJ blockers.
Curares.
What role do muscle relaxants play in anesthesia?
They aid in intubation during anesthesia.
What are examples of H2 blockers used in anesthesia?
Famotidine.
Rantidine.
How do H2 blockers contribute to the anesthesia process?
By reducing gastric acidity before anesthesia.
What are examples of barbiturates used in anesthesia?
Midazolam.
Diazepam.
What is the purpose of benzodiazepines in anesthesia?
Anxiolysis and amnesia.
How do barbiturates assist with anesthesia?
They help with smooth muscle induction and can lower the required dose of anesthetics.
What are examples of non-opioids used in anesthesia to provide analgesia?
Acetaminophen.
Celecoxib.
What are examples of opioids used in anesthesia to provide analgesia?
Fentanyl.
What is the role of antihistamines in anesthesia?
Prevent allergic reactions.
What are examples of serotonin antagonists used in anesthesia to provide analgesia?
Ondansetron.
How are serotonin antagonists used postoperatively in anesthesia?
To prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting.
What are examples of anti-cholinergic drugs used in anesthesia?
Glycopyrrolate.
What is the function of anticholinergic drugs in anesthesia?
They prevent bradycardia and fluid secretion into the respiratory tract during anesthesia.
What are the risks of coadministering drugs with anesthesia?
They can enhance undesirable effects like hypoventilation.
What are the three stages of anesthesia?
- Induction.
- Maintenance.
- Recovery.
What is induction?
The period of time from the onset of administration of the potent anesthetic to the development of effective surgical anesthesia.
What is maintenance?
The process of maintaining sustained surgical anesthesia.
What is recovery?
The time from discontinuation of administration of anesthesia until consciousness and protective physiologic reflexes are regained.
How is induction normally induced?
With an IV anesthetic like propofol, which produces unconsciousness within 30-40 seconds after injection.
How is anesthesia induction involved in children with children without IV access?
With non-pungent agents, such as halothane or sevoflurane.
How is general anesthesia maintained?
By the administration of volatile anesthetics, which offer good control over the depth of anesthesia.
Why are IV anesthetics used in induction of anesthesia not used to maintain the anesthetic activity?
Due to their short duration of action.
What is the process that predominates the process of recovery from anesthesia?
Redistribution from the site of action rather than the metabolism of the anesthetic.
What are the four stages of anesthesia?
Stage I - Analgesia.
Stage II - Excitement.
Stage III - Surgical anesthesia.
Stage IV - Medullary paralysis.
What is done to shorten the excitement stage of anesthesia?
A rapid acting agent, such as propofol, is given IV before inhalation anesthesia is administered.
How is the development of severe medullary paralysis, depression of the respiratory of vasocenters, coma, and death avoided in anesthesia?
Through continuous careful monitoring.
How does the anesthetic concentration in inspired air affect the rate of induction and recovery of anesthetics?
Increased inspired anesthetic concentration results in increased alveolar anesthetic concentration and increased rate of anesthetic transferring to the blood (increased rate of induction of anesthesia).
How does the relative solubility of the anesthetic in blood affect the rate of induction and recovery of anesthetics?
The solubility of the anesthetic in blood is inversely related to the induction and recovery of anesthesia.
So agents with higher solubility in blood have a slow induction rate and slow recovery rate, whereas agents with lower solubility in blood have a faster induction rate and a faster recovery rate.
What is the blood:gas solubility coefficient?
It defines the relative affinity of anesthetic for blood compared to air.
The lower it is, the more potent the anesthetic.
Rank the solubility of anesthetic agents according to the blood-gas solubility coefficient.
Halothane (slow) > Enflurane > Isoflurane > Sevoflurane > Desflurane > Nitrous Oxide (fast)
How does the pulmonary blood flow affect the rate of induction and recovery of anesthetics?
Increased cardiac output is correlated with increased pulmonary blood flow and more removal of the agent from the alveoli, thereby slowing the rate of increase in arterial tension and slowing induction.
How does the pulmonary ventilation affect the rate of induction and recovery of insoluble anesthetics?
Changes in minute ventilation have little influence on induction with insoluble agents in the blood, as the alveolar concentration is always high.
How does the pulmonary ventilation affect the rate of induction and recovery of soluble anesthetics?
Soluble agents show significant increases in alveolar tension with increased minute ventilation.
What are inhalation anesthetics most commonly used for?
The maintenance of anesthesia after induction of anesthesia by IV agent.
What are the two subtypes of inhalation anesthetics?
Gas anesthetics.
Liquid volatile anesthetics.
What is an example of a gas anesthetic?
Nitrous oxide.
What are examples of liquid volatile anesthetics?
Halothane.
Sevoflurane.
Desflurane.
Isoflurane.
How can the depth of anesthesia be rapidly altered?
By changing the concentration of the drug.
Increased anesthetic concentration increases the transfer of the drug to the blood.
What is the therapeutic index of inhalation anesthetics?
Very narrow. Generally from 2 to 4., so they should be monitored carefully.
Do inhalation anesthetics have an antagonist?
No.
What are the general safety features of inhalation anesthetics?
They are generally nonflammable and nonexplosive, with the exception of ether.
How do inhalation anesthetics affect cerebrovascular resistance?
They decrease it, which leads to increase perfusion of the brain.
What effect do inhalation anesthetics have on bronchial smooth muscle and how is this beneficial?
Inhalation anesthetics can cause bronchodilation, which can be particularly useful for patients with wheezing and status epilepticus.
How is the potency of inhaled anesthetics defined?
As the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC).
How is MAC expressed?
The percentage of gas in a mixture required to achieve anesthetic immobility.
What does MAC indicate?
It indicates the concentration needed to prevent movement in response to surgical incision in 50% of subjects.
What is the relationship between MAC and the potency of anesthetics?
A smaller MAC value indicates a more potent anesthetic (such as sevoflurane, isoflurane, and halothane), while a larger MAC indicates a less potent agent (such as nitrous oxide).
How does lipid solubility affect the potency of an anesthetic?
The more lipid-soluble an anesthetic is, the higher the fat:gas partition coefficient and the lower the MAC value, which corresponds to higher potency.
What factors can increase MAC, making the patient less sensitive to anesthetics?
- Hyperthermia.
- Increased CNS catecholamines (due to drugs like ephedrine and amphetamine).
- Chronic ethanol abuse can also increase MAC.
Which drugs that increase CNS catecholamines and thus increase MAC, making the patient less sensitive to anesthetics?
Ephedrine.
Amphetamine.
What factors can decrease MAC, making the patient more sensitive to anesthetics?
- Increased age.
- Hypothermia.
- Pregnancy
- Sepsis.
- Acute ethanol intoxication.
- Concurrent administration of IV anesthetics.
- α-2 adrenergic receptor agonists like clonidine and dexmedetomidine.
Give two examples of α-2 adrenergic receptor agonists that make the patient more sensitive to anesthetics (i.e., decrease MAC)?
Clonidine.
Dexmedtomidine.