Neuraxial Anesthesia Flashcards
General Facts about neuraxial anesthesia vs. GA
Neuraxial anesthesia can be an alternative to general anesthesia
Neuraxial anesthesia may be used simultaneously with general anesthesia or afterward for postoperative analgesia
Neuraxial blocks can be performed as a ____ or ___.
single injection or with a catheter to allow intermittent boluses or continuous infusions
Neuraxial blocks may reduce the incidence of ____.
- venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism
- cardiac complications in high-risk patients
- bleeding and transfusion requirements
- vascular graft occlusion
- pneumonia
Postoperative epidural analgesia may also significantly reduce both the need for _____.
mechanical ventilation and the time until extubation after major abdominal or thoracic surgery.
Cesarean delivery is most commonly performed under ___.
spinal or epidural anesthesia
Regional anesthesia for cesarean delivery is associated with less maternal morbidity and mortality than general anesthesia d/t aspiration and failed intubation
The primary site of action for neuraxial blockade is ____.
the nerve root
Mechanism of action of spinal anesthesia
a relatively small volume of medication is injected into the subarachnoid space, mixes with cerebral spinal fluid, and provides a dense sensory and motor blockade
Mechanism of action of epidural and caudal anesthesia
a relatively large volume of medication is injected into the epidural space, and provides a differentiated blockade to the middle of the nerve roots
Differential blockade typically results in ____.
sympathetic blockade (judged by temperature sensitivity) that may be two segments or more cephalad than the sensory block (pain, light touch), which, in turn, is usually several segments more cephalad than the motor blockade.
Blockade of the posterior nerve root fibers interrupts ____.
somatic and visceral sensation
The physiological responses to neuraxial blockade result from _____.
decreased sympathetic tone or unopposed parasympathetic tone, or both
List the divisions of the nervous system
1) Central and peripheral nervous systems
2) The peripheral nervous system is divided into the somatic and autonomic nervous systems
3) The autonomic nervous system is divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
The sympathetic outflow is also called the ____.
thoracolumbar outflow
The sympathetic, or thoracolumbar, outflow arises from segments ___.
T1–L2 or segments T1–L3
Most sympathetic preganglionic neurons synapse with ___.
postganglionic fibers in the paravertebral ganglia
Sympathetic cardiac accelerator fibers arise from ____.
T1–T4
The stellate ganglion is formed by the ____.
inferior cervical and first thoracic ganglia
*stellate ganglion is important as it relates to horners syndrome
A massive sympathetic response would lead to ___.
tachycardia, dry mouth, bronchodilation and diaphoresis.
Effects of sympathetic nervous system on body organs
Eye - The pupil dilation (mydriasis)
Heart - Increased heart rate
Secretions - Decreased salivary and bronchial secretions
Smooth Muscle - Bronchodilation, and decreased motility and tone of the stomach and intestines and relaxation of the bladder (detrusor muscle)
Pancreas – Increased blood glucose
The sympathetic NS is ____ compared to the peripheral NS?
The sympathetic nervous system is anatomically and functionally more systemic in its effects when compared to the PNS
Which nervous system is associated with the fight or flight response?
sympathetic
The parasympathetic outflow is also called the ___.
craniosacral outflow
The parasympathetic, or craniosacral, outflow arises from cranial nerves _____.
III, VII, IX, and X and sacral segments S2, S3, and S4
(3, 7, 9, 10)
Cranial nerve III arises from the ___.
midbrain