Medicine- Pre-op: Pulmonary, Cardio, & Testing Flashcards
What type of sx has the highest risk for pulmonary complications? Why?
- Upper abdominal sx
- Bc it causes splinting (which is a involuntary, rigid contraction of abd wall mm occuring due to post-op visceral pain) which limits the pts ability to take deep breaths=exacerbates pulmonary problems
T or F. Cardiac complications are > pulmonary complications.
F. 5-10% incidence of pulm comp’s in non-cardiac sx–>these comp’s include: atelectasis, pneumonia, bronchitis, bronchospasm (2ry to reactive airway dz, like asthma), hypoxemia, and resp failure
What is the % of post-op pulmonary complications across all types of sx (according to systematic review from 1980-2005)?
6.8%
What is the risk of putting a pt who has end-stage emphysema on a ventilator?
There’s a possibility they might die once you take them off bc when they’re on the vent they haven’t “breathed like that in 20 years” so it’s going to be hard for them to breath at all once they’re off.
What type of anesthesia is best for “pulmonary pts”?
Regional anesthesia
When is the ideal time to tell a pt to quit smoking prior to sx? Worst time to quit?
- 8 weeks. They will begin feeling better and everything will be cleared out of their bronchial tree
- 2 weeks pre-op
What are some pt related risk factors of Peri-op Pulm Comp’s (PPCs)?
Age, chronic lung dz, smoking, asthma, general health status, obstructive sleep apnea, pulm HTN, heart failure, upper resp infection, metabolic factors
Rales indicate what?
There’s FLUID in the lungs
Wheeze indicate what?
There’s an OBSTRUCTION in the bronchial tree
Ronchi indicate what?
There’s TURBULENT FLOW in the bronchi
Pt-related Risk Factors and PPCs:
Asthma is a risk only if what?
If it’s UNCONTROLLED or peak flow is <80%
Pt-related Risk Factors and PPCs:
Smoking is a risk if?
- Smoke >20 pk/yr, or
- Smoke past 8 weeks prior to sx
Pt-related Risk Factors and PPCs:
A surgeon will postpone sx if _____ is present/active.
URI
What are the procedure-related risk factors of PPCs?
Surgical site, duration of sx, type of anesthesia, and type of NM blockade
What is the most important procedure-related risk factor, in terms of PPCs?
Surgical site bc it’s related to distance of incision from diaphragm
In terms of procedure-related risk factors and PPCs, the longer the sx (i.e., >4h) the…
Greater chance of PPCs (40%). PPCs are around 8% in procedures lasting <2h
What type of anesthesia has less PPCs compared to general anesthesia (GA)?
Epidural (+/- GA)