IV Anesthetics: Sedatives and Hypnotics Flashcards
Review: What are the 5 A’s of surgical anesthesia?
Amnesia Anesthesia Analgesia Akinesia (not moving) Areflexia (lack of autonomic reflexes)
7 uses of sedatives and hypnotics other than general anesthesia for surgery? (probs not necessary to memorize)
ICU sedation Procedural sedation Seizure treatment Generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder EtOH withdrawal Insomnia Muscle spasms
5-6 neurotransmitters that sedatives and hypnotics work on?
GABA/galanin Histamine Serotonin Norepinephrine Acetylcholine
What are the 2 major principles to think about in the pharmacokinetics of IV anesthetics?
Drug redistribution
Context-sensitive half time
Review: What makes up the well-vascularized central compartment (in pharmacokinetics)?
Brain, Heart, Kidney
What’s the difference between distribution and elimination half life? Which one matters more?
Distribution half life: Time it takes drug in central compartment to be reduced by 50%, due to distributing into other compartments, esp. muscle and fat.
Elimination half life: Time it takes total drug in body to be reduced by 50%.
Distribution half life is what actually matters, as that represents the drug being where it does its job.
What is context-sensitive half time? Why does it happen?
The longer you infuse a drug, the longer it takes to eliminate once to stop infusing it.
This happens because the drug accumulates in fat over time, which will be released when the infusion is stopped.
What do you do different with sedatives / hypnotics that have a context-sensitive half life that increases sharply with infusion duration?
Usually don’t give them IV. Better suited for PO, suppository, IM etc.
What’s the preferred drug of anesthesia induction?
Propofol
What’s the redistribution half life of propofol? (roughly)
2-8 minutes. Really short. Even though the elimination half life is 4 - 24 hours, the drug effect goes away very quickly.
Special fact about propofol metabolism?
It’s partially metabolized extrahepatic-ly, including in the lungs.
Is the central compartment for pharmacokinetics lareger in children vs. adults? How about older adults vs. young adults?
Largest in children. “Kids are all head.”
Smallest in older adults.
MoA of propofol? (roughly)
Potentiates GABA-A receptor. (Also affects alpha 2 adrenal receptors, NMDA glutamate receptors, and glycine receptors)
Does propofol cause analgesia?
No. It has no effect on pain, only consciousness. You need to give something else for that.
What’s the effect of propofol on blood pressure? How? (3 things) On heart rate?
Decreased blood pressure via.. - vasodilation - decreased sympathetic tone - myocardial depression (maybe) Heart rate is decreased.
3 respiratory effects of propofol?
Decrease tidal volume +/- increased RR. (hypopnea or apnea).
Decreased response to high CO2 / low O2.
Bronchodilation.
(note similarities to respiratory effects of inhaled anesthetics)
2 neurological effects of propofol?
Decreased metabolic rate -> “burst suppression”
Decreased cerebral blood flow -> “brain relaxation” (the brain actually shrinks, useful in neurosurgery)
Adverse effects of propofol? Name 4.
Pain on injection.
Propofol-related infusion syndrome (PRIS) = metabolic acidosis with long-term use.
Hypertriglyceridemia and pancreatitis (propofol is suspended in fat).
Decreased PMN chemotaxis.
2 absolute contraindications to propofol?
Allergy to propofol.
Allergy to egg protein.
Relative contraindications for propofol? (2 main ones)
Hemodynamic instability (due to cardiovascular effects).
Hx of awareness under anesthesia.
(and, Dr. Lane-Fall notes, using it on your own at home)