Apex hotspot and Images Flashcards
Click on the area where the needle is inserted during a right superior laryngeal nerve block.

Explanation:
There are 3 key airway blocks:
- Glossopharyngeal
- Superior laryngeal
- Transtracheal
To block the superior laryngeal nerve, local anesthetic is injected just below the border of the greater cornu of the hyoid bone.
1 mL of local anesthetic is injected outside of the thyrohyoid membrane.
2 mL are injected just beneath the thyrohyoid membrane.

Click on the corniculate cartilage.

You guys have seen this view hundreds of times. Even so, you’ve likely succumbed to one of the most common misteachings in anesthesia. You CANNOT see the arytenoids during laryngoscopy!
What you are actually seeing are the corniculate and cuneiform cartilages. The cuneiforms are lateral to the corniculates.

Click on the region of the skull where Larson’s maneuver is performed.

You may know this concept as the laryngospasm notch. Like it or not, the NCE likes to test your vocabulary.
There are times where you’ll have to know two or more words for the same thing. Believe it or not, we have 5 synonyms for pseudocholinesterase! Don’t worry, we’ll cover that in the neuromuscular blockers tutorial. For now, let’s get back to laryngospasm and Larson’s maneuver.

Match the lung volumes and capacities to the corresponding letters in the image.

Inspiratory reserve volume
Inspiratory capacity
Functional residual capacity
Vital capacity
A
B
C
D
Inspiratory reserve volume + A
Functional residual capacity + B
Inspiratory capacity + C
Vital capacity + D
Which ion belongs in the box with the question mark?

Chloride
CO2 is the by-product of aerobic respiration. It diffuses from the cells into the venous circulation and then diffuses into erythrocytes.
In the presence of carbonic anhydrase (inside the RBC), CO2 and H2O react to form H2CO3. Carbonic acid rapidly dissociates into H+ and HCO3-. The H+ is buffered by hemoglobin, and the HCO3- is transported to the plasma to function as a buffer.
Cl- is transported into the erythrocyte to maintain electroneutrality. This is known as the chloride or Hamburger shift.
Match each letter to its corresponding event on the pulmonary flow-volume loop.

expiration
residual volume
TLC
inspiration
Expiration + A
Inspiration + B
Total lung capacity + C
Residual volume + D
A patient with COPD is mechanically ventilated. Which interventions will improve this patient’s condition? (Select 2.)
Decrease respiratory rate.
Disconnect the circuit.
Increase inspiratory flow.
Increase inspiratory time.

Decrease respiratory rate
Disconnect the circuit
The airway pressure in this waveform clearly depicts dynamic hyperinflation, otherwise known as breath stacking. Patients with COPD have a longer expiratory time constant, and this means they require a longer period of time to exhale fully.
Of the answer choices provided, there are two options that reverse dynamic hyperinflation. By reducing the respiratory rate, the patient will spend more time over the course of a minute in E time. If PEEP becomes dangerously elevated, the definitive treatment for dynamic hyperinflation is to remove the patient from the ventilator.
Increasing inspiratory time is another way of saying reducing expiratory time, so this choice will actually make the patient’s condition worse. The inspiratory flow determines how fast the tidal volume is delivered to the patient. Increasing the inspiratory flow will deliver the preset tidal volume faster, and this does nothing to facilitate expiration.
What is the first line treatment for this patient?
Pericardiocentesis
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
14g angiocath insertion at the 2nd intercostal space midclavicular line
Chest tube insertion

14g angiocath insertion at the 2nd intercostal space midclavicular line
Emergency treatment of a tension pneumothorax includes insertion of a 14g angiocath into the 2nd intercostal space at the mid-clavicular line or the 4th or 5th intercostal space at the anterior axillary line. This will release the tension and relieve hemodynamic instability, but not the underlying pneumothorax.
Chest tube insertion is the definitive treatment. Pericardiocentesis is a treatment for pericardial tamponade. CPR should not be started based on a CXR alone.
Click on the tonsillar pillars. (Select 2.)

By measuring the size of the tongue relative to the volume of the mouth, the Mallampati exam helps us predict the difficulty of endotracheal intubation.
To perform the exam, the patient should:
Sit upright
Extend the neck
Open the mouth as wide as possible
Stick out the tongue
NOT phonate
This patient has a class I airway, because you can visualize the tonsillar pillars.

What is this patient’s mandibular protrusion test classification?
(Enter a number)

Class 3
The mandibular protrusion test assesses the function of the temporomandibular joint. The patient is asked to sublux the jaw, and the position of the lower incisors is compared to the position of the upper incisors.
A class III assessment (like the patient in this question) suggests a more difficult laryngoscopy.
Click on the region of the LMA that rests against the cricopharyngeus muscle.

Distal end → Upper esophageal sphincter (cricopharyngeus muscle)
Sides → Pyriform sinuses
Proximal end → Base of the tongue

Identify the contraindications to the device in the image. (Select 3.)
Zenker’s diverticulum
Klippel-Feil
Obesity
Prolonged used
Full stomach
Intact gag reflex

Intact gag reflex
Prolonged use
Zenker’s diverticulum
The Combitube is a supraglottic, double lumen device that is blindly placed in the hypopharynx. Contraindications to its use include:
Intact gag reflex
Prolonged use (> 2 - 3 hours) due to risk or ischemia from oropharyngeal balloon
Esophageal disease (Zenker’s diverticulum)
Ingestion of caustic substances
Do not use a size 37-F in someone < 4 ft
Do not use a size 41-F in someone < 6 ft
It provides a secure airway, so it is a useful alternative in the patient with a full stomach. Additionally, placement does not require neck extension, so it’s useful in the patient with Klippel-Feil syndrome.
Identify the statements that BEST describe the device in the image. (Select 2.)
There are no disposable components.
The oral, pharyngeal, and laryngeal axes must align.
It requires a minimum mouth opening 7 millimeters.
It is useful in the patient with Pierre-Robin syndrome.

It requires a minimum mouth opening 7 millimeters
It is useful in the patient with Pierre Robin syndrome
The Bullard laryngoscope is a rigid, fiberoptic device used for indirect laryngoscopy. For this reason, the oral, pharyngeal, and laryngeal axes do not have to align.
It is useful in the patient with:
Small mandible (Pierre-Robin syndrome)
Limited mouth opening (requires at least 7 mm)
Limited cervical mobility
There is a disposable tip extender that is useful for tall patients. It snaps in place before laryngoscopy and it must be removed and discarded after laryngoscopy.
Click on the laryngoscopic view where the Eschmann introducer provides the MOST significant benefit.

Remember the Cormack and Lehane grading system?
The Eschmann introducer provides the most significant benefit when you obtain a grade III view during laryngoscopy.
Before moving on, what are some other names for the Eschmann introducer?

lick on the area where the wire is inserted during retrograde intubation.

Just like cricothyroidotomy, retrograde intubation requires you to penetrate the cricothyroid membrane.

Click on the left cricothyroid muscle


Click on the region of the alveolar compliance curve where ventilation is the greatest.

Alveolar ventilation is a function of alveolar size and its position on its compliance curve (Alveolar compliance = Alveolar volume / Alveolar Pressure).
The best ventilated alveoli are the most compliant.
They exchange more gas, because their volumes change more throughout the respiratory cycle.
These alveoli reside at the steep slope of the curve.
The least ventilated alveoli are the least compliant.
They exchange less gas, because their volumes change very little throughout the respiratory cycle.
These alveoli reside near the top of the curve.

Which letter corresponds with the region where dead space is the greatest?
A
B
C
D

D
Explanation:
Dead space is ventilation without perfusion and shunt is perfusion without ventilation.
The graph examines the V/Q relationship in the entire lung.
Point C marks where ventilation and perfusion are equally matched.
Point D marks the region where ventilation is greater than perfusion; dead space is increased here.
Points A and B mark where perfusion exceeds ventilation; shunt is increased here.
A patient is scheduled for a VATS with lung resection. Click on the alveolar compliance curve that BEST illustrates what happens after he is anesthetized and placed in the lateral decubitus position.

When the anesthetized patient is placed in the lateral decubitus position:
The nondependent lung moves from the flat (noncompliant) region of the curve to an area of better compliance. Ventilation is best here, because the lung is on a favorable position of the curve.
The dependent lung moves from the slope (highly compliant) to the lower, flatter area of the curve. In this region, the reduction of alveolar volume contributes to atelectasis. Perfusion is best here due to gravity.
The net effect is that ventilation is better in the nondependent lung and perfusion is better in the dependent lung. This creates V/Q mismatch.

What is this patient’s Mallampati classification?
(Enter your answer as a number)

Three
Explanation:
The Mallampati score is used to assess the size of the tongue relative to the volume of the mouth. The more space the tongue occupies, the less space there is to work
To perform the exam, the patient should sit upright, extend the neck, open the mouth as wide as possible, and stick out the tongue. The patient should not phonate.
Remember the mnemonic: PUSH
Class I: Pillars, Uvula, Soft palate, Hard palate
Class II: __ Uvula, Soft palate, Hard palate
Class III: __ __ Soft palate, Hard palate
Class IV: __ __ __ Hard palate
By itself, the MMT is a poor predictor of difficult airway, however its predictive power increases substantially as it is combined with additional airway tests.
Following placement of the device in the image, the distal balloon is MOST likely to occlude the:
hypopharynx.
esophagus.
mainstem bronchus.
trachea.

Esophagus
Explanation:
The Combitube is a supraglottic, double lumen device that is blindly placed in the hypopharynx. The proximal balloon occludes the hypopharynx, while the distal balloon occludes the esophagus.
If the tip is placed in the esophagus (this is common), the lungs can be ventilated through the lumen between the distal and proximal balloons.
It is uncommon that the tip is positioned in the trachea, but if you get lucky, the distal lumen can be used for ventilation.
Pathology at or below the larynx may render this device useless. Esophageal rupture has been reported. Cricoid pressure should be released (not maintained) when placing the Combitube.
This is not a double lumen endotracheal tube!
What is the next best step during an intubation with a lighted stylet?
Advance the lighted stylet three inches.
Turn off the light.
Pass the endotracheal tube off of the lighted stylet.
Withdraw and reposition the lighted stylet.

Pass the endotracheal tube off of the lighted stylet
The trachea is anterior to the esophagus. Placement of the lighted stylet into the trachea results in a “well-defined circumscribed glow” below the thyroid prominence. This is what you saw in the image. If the lighted stylet was in the esophagus, you would observe a “more diffuse transillumination of the neck without the circumscribed glow.”
Esophageal placement = diffuse transillumination of the neck without the circumscribed glow
Tracheal placement = well defined circumscribed glow just below the thyroid prominence
Benefits of the lighted stylet:
Useful for the anterior airway.
Useful with small mouth opening.
Requires very little manipulation of the neck.
Less stimulating than direct vision laryngoscopy.
Less sore throat than direct vision laryngoscopy.
Downsides of the lighted stylet:
It should not be used in a can’t ventilate can’t intubate scenario.
More difficult to use in the patient with a short, thick neck.
It’s a blind technique and shouldn’t be used in the presence of tumor, foreign body, or airway injury.
Click on the paravertebral ganglion.

The paravertebral ganglia are where the pre- and postganglionic fibers in the SNS synapse.
There are 31 paired ganglia, and collectively they make up the sympathetic chain.

Click on the white ramus.

In the sympathetic nervous system, the preganglionic sympathetic fibers exit the spinal cord via the ventral nerve roots of the spinal nerves. These fibers enter the sympathetic chain by way of the white communicating rami.




















































































































































































































