Monitoring Anaesthesia Flashcards
What can show the depth of anaesthesia?
*Heart and resp rate
*Palpebral reflex
*Corneal reflex
*Eye position
*Nystagmus
*Pupillary diameter
*Lacrimation
*Salivation
*Tongue curl
*Laryngeal/pharyngeal reflexes
*Anal reflex
*Jaw tone
*Pedal reflex
What do the mucus membranes tell us during anaesthesia?
*Should be pink (cats; pale pink)
*Abnormal colours; pale, blue, white, brick red, purple
*CRT is an indicator of perfusion
*CRT should be less than 2 seconds
How should respiration be during anaesthesia?
*Pattern should be regular and deep
*Abnormal patterns include abdominal, paradoxical
and periodic.
Why is temperature important during anaesthesia?
*Hyperthermia increases oxygen
consumption
*If patient becomes hypothermic, may get
cardiovascular, respiratory, clotting
and ECG changes
What is pulse oximetry?
*Non invasive method
*Measures percentage of oxygenated haemoglobin in blood
*Represented as SpO2 (%)
*LED on one side of probe, emits light at different wavelengths
What will pulse oximetry tell you and not tell you?
*Useful if respiratory or cardiovascular disease
*Will tell you if pulse is present
*Will tell you that there is perfusion
*Will tell you the oxygen saturation of the Hb
* WILL NOT TELL YOU VENTILATORY STATUS OF PATIENT
What problems can occur with pulse oximetry?
Problems can occur when:
*Human hand me downs
*Lack of perfusion
*Ambient light
*Abnormal haemoglobin
*Movement
*Thick, pigmented or hairy tissues
What is Capnometry?
Is the monitoring of the partial pressure
or concentration of carbon dioxide in respiratory
gases. If these partial pressure values are plotted
against time, a capnograph is produced.
What information does a capnograph give?
*CO2 production, *perfusion of the lungs, *alveolar ventilation, *respiratory patterns, *elimination of
CO2 from the breathing system.
What is the normal capnograph reading for a dog and cat?
35 to 45 mm Hg in dogs and 28 to 32 mm Hg in cats.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of main stream and side stream capnography?
Mainstream capnometers place the measurement chamber within the airways. This allows for an
almost instantaneous measurement of CO2
. Some drawbacks of mainstream capnometry include:
easily damaged;
presence increases dead space;
difficult to use in spontaneously breathing patients; and
water condensation often occurs on the sensor (Figure 1).
Sidestream capnometers sample air aspirated out of the airway through fine bore tubing to a
measurement chamber outside the device (Figure 2).
An advantage of sidestream analysis is the units often measure other gases (that is, oxygen and
anaesthetics). Slight delays in measurement may occur due to movement of the sample through
the tubing. Secretions from the airway may easily obstruct the tubing.
Neither is clearly superior and the choice between them is most often a personal preference.
Why might the capnograph trace read too low?
Too low ETCO2
*Too light
*Cardiogenic
*Tidal volume very small
*Sampling line occlusion
*Ventilator disconnected
*Endo-oesophageal
intubation
Why might the capnograph trace read too high?
Too high ETCO2
*Too deep
*Airway obstruction
*Chest wall movement
impaired
*Excessive production
*Fresh gas flow too low
*Soda lime exhausted
Is hypo or hypercapnia a problem?
*CO2 is the ‘drive for ventilation’
*Cerebral vasoconstriction if CO2 levels decrease
below approx 22 mmHg
*Hypercapnia will cause cerebral vessel vasodilation
*Sympathetic nervous system stimulant
How does Rebreathing show on a capnogram?
How does slow expiration time appear on a capnogram?
How does hypoventilation appear on a capnogram?
How does hyperventilation appear on a capnogram?
How do spontaneous respiratory efforts during mechanical ventilation appear on a capnogram?
How do Cardiogenic oscillations appear on a capnogram?