General Anesthesia Flashcards
Main difference between local and general anesthesia
Loss of consciousness with general anesthesia
Balanced anesthesia?
In addition to general anesthesia you also need to use opioids or NSAIDs
Balanced anesthesia provides (6)
- Amnesia
- Analgesia
- Reduce anxiety
- Sedation
- Sk. msk relaxation
- Suppress reflexes
(You must use multiple different drugs to obtain all of these effects)
Why are neuromuscular blockers used in general anesthesia?
- Tracheal intubation
- Muscle relaxation for surgery
2 routes of administration of general anesthetics
- Inhalation
- IV
Inhaled anesthetics are typically _______ (3)
Volatile, halogenated hydrocarbons
(except for nitrous oxide)
IV anesthetics usually consist of ______.
chemically unrelated drugs used to rapidly induce anesthesia
Adjunct agents used as pre-anesthetic medications (7)
- Anticholinergics
- Antiemetic
- Antihistamine
- BZD
- H2 blockers
- Non-opioid (tylenol)
- Opioids (fentanyl)
Why are anticholinergics used in anesthesia?
prevent bradycardia & secretion of fluids into the respiratory tract
What is the ideal stage of anesthesia for surgery?
Stage 3
(stage four risks death)
Three phases of anesthesia required for surgery
- Induction: admin (usually IV)→effect
- Maintenance (volatile anesthetics)
- Recovery: discontinuation → re-gaining consciousness
What does recovery from general anesthesia depend on?
- How fast the anesthetic diffuses from the brain
- Redistribution rather than metabolism
(recovery from inhalation drugs depends on respiration)
3 general mechanisms of action for general anesthetic
- Modulation of ion channels → increasesGABAA sensitivity→ increases Cl influx → depolarization
- NO & ketamine are mediated via inhibition of NMDA receptors (excititory))
- Inhalation anesthetics block excititory postsymnaptic currents of nicotinic receptors
Advantages of inhalation and anesthetics (3)
- Controlling depth of anesthesia
- Minimal metabolism (goes straight to brain)
- Excretion by exhalation
Factors influencing rate of induction of gen. anesthesia (6)
- Blood solubility
- Blood flow
- Concentration
- Second gas effect (effects are additive)
- Tissue solubility
- Ventilation rate and depth
(high blood gas solubility = slower rate of induction/recovery)
Rate of equilibrium of inhalation and anesthetics depends on ____
Blood/gas partition coefficient: ratio of anesthetic concentration in blood/alveolar space when partial pressures are equal
(Low blood/gas partition coefficient = higher rate of induction)
Low blood solubility = ______ rate of induction
fast
(high blood solubility = slow rate of induction)
Molecules with a higher λ (oil/gas) are _____ (more/less) potent.
more
(lipid-solubility increases potency)
High minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) = _____ (high/low) potency.
low
(High MAC = low potency)
The more lipid soluble the _____ (lower/higher) concentration needed and the ______ (lower/higher) the potency.
- lower
- higher
Factors that increase MAC (patient less sensitive) (3)
- Hyperthermia
- Drugs that increase CNS catecholamines
- Alcohol abuse
Factors that decrease MAC (6)
- Age
- α2-adrenergic receptor agonists
- Hypothermia
- Intoxication/other IV anesthetics
- Pregnancy
- Sepsis
Higher cardiac output removes anesthetic from the alveoli faster and slows the rate _____.
of rise in alveolar concentration of gas (takes longer for the gas to reach eq. between the alveoli & brain)
(higher cardiac output slows the rate of induction)
Why does nitrous oxide equilibriate rapidly
Insoluble in blood and other tissues
(this serves to concentrate co-administered halogenated anesthetics → second gas effect)
Primary use of inhalation of anesthetics
- Anaesthetic maintenance
- Depth altered by changing inhaled concentration
- Steep dose response curves
- Narrow therapeutic indices
(caution: no defined receptor for drugs)
Halogenated hydrocarbons are a potent anesthetic but a weak _____
analgesic
(same for propofol)
Why are halogenated hydrocarbons contraindicated in obstetrics?
Relaxes uterine muscles
(also causes bronchodilation, respiratory & cardiac depression)
Halogenated hydrocarbons are usually co-administered with ______ to achieve balanced anesthesia.
nitrous oxide, opioids, muscle relaxants and other adjuncts
Adverse effects of inhalation anesthetics
Malignant hyperthermia: mutation in RYR 1
Antidote to malignant hyperthermia
Dantrolene (blocks the release of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum in muscle cells)
Isoflurane is less potent than ______ and is metabolized in the ____.
- Halothane
- Little metabolism (non-toxic to the liver or kidney)