Preoperative 101 And Fluids & Electrolytes Flashcards
When can a patient eat prior to major surgery?
Patient should be NPO after midnight the night before or for at least 8 hours before surgery
What risks should be discussed with all patients and documented on the consent form for a surgical procedure?
Bleeding, infection, anesthesia, scar; other risks are specific to the individual procedure (also MI, CVA, and death if cardiovascular disease is present)
If a patient is on antihypertensive medications, should the patient take them on the day of the procedure?
Yes, (remember clonidine “rebound”)
If a patient is on an oral hypoglycemic agent (OHA), should the patient take the OHA on the day of surgery?
Not if the patient is to be NPO on the
day of surgery
If a patient is taking insulin, should the patient take it on the day of surgery?
No, only half of a long-acting insulin (e.g., lente) and start D5 NS IV; check glucose levels often preoperatively, operatively, and postoperatively
Should a patient who smokes cigarettes stop before an operation?
Yes, improvement is seen in just 2 to 4 weeks after smoking cessation
What laboratory test must all women of childbearing age have before entering the O.R.?
HCG and CBC because of the possibility of pregnancy and anemia from menses
What is a preop colon surgery “bowel prep”?
Bowel prep with colon cathartic (e.g., GoLYTELY), oral antibiotics (neomycin and erythromycin base), and IV antibiotic before incision
Has a preop bowel prep been shown conclusively to decrease postop infections in colon surgery?
No, there is no data to support its use
What preoperative medication can decrease postoperative cardiac events and death?
Beta blockers
What must you always order preoperatively for your patient undergoing a major operation?
- NPO/IVF
- Preoperative antibiotics
- Type and cross blood (PRBCs)
What electrolyte must you check preoperatively if a patient is on hemodialysis?
Potassium
Who gets a preoperative ECG?
Patients older than 40 years of age
What are the two major body fluid compartments?
- Intracellular
- Extracellular
What are the two subcompartments of extracellular fluid?
- Interstitial fluid (in between cells)
- Intravascular fluid (plasma)
What percentage of body weight is in fluid?
60%
What percentage of body fluid is intracellular?
66%
What percentage of body fluid is extracellular?
33%
What is the composition of body fluid?
Fluids 60% total body weight: Intracellular 40% total body weight Extracellular 20% total body weight
(Think: 60, 40, 20)
How can body fluid distribution by weight be remembered?
TIE”:
T Total body fluid 60% of body
weight
I Intracellular 40% of body weight
E Extracellular 20% of body
weight
On average, what percentage of body weight does blood account for in adults?
7%
How many liters of blood are in a 70-kg man?
0.07 * 70 = 5 liters
What are the fluid requirements every 24 hours for each of the following substances:
Water
Potassium
Chloride
Sodium
30 to 35 mL/kg
1 mEq/kg
1.5 mEq/kg
1–2 mEq/kg
What are the levels and sources of normal daily water loss?
Urine—1200 to 1500 mL (25–30 mL/kg)
Sweat—200 to 400 mL
Respiratory losses—500 to 700 mL Feces—100 to 200 mL
What are the levels and sources of normal daily electrolyte loss?
Sodium and potassium - 100 mEq Chloride - 150 mEq
What are the levels of sodium and chloride in sweat?
40 mEq/L
What is the major electrolyte in colonic feculent fluid?
Potassium—65 mEq/L
What is the physiologic response to hypovolemia?
Sodium/H2O retention via renin -> aldosterone, water retention via ADH, vasoconstriction via angiotensin II and sympathetics, low urine output and tachycardia (early), hypotension (late)
What is third-spacing
Fluid accumulation in the interstitium of tissues, as in edema, e.g., loss of fluid into the interstitium and lumen of a paralytic bowel following surgery (think of the intravascular and intracellular spaces as the first two spaces)
When does “third-spacing” occur postoperatively?
Third-spaced fluid tends to mobilize back into the intravascular space around POD
#3 (Note: Beware of fluid overload once the fluid begins to return to the intravascular space); switch to hypotonic fluid and decrease IV rate
What are the classic signs of third spacing?
Tachycardia
Decreased urine output
What is the treatment for third-spacing
IV hydration with isotonic fluids
What are the surgical causes of the following conditions:
Metabolic acidosis
Hypochloremic alkalosis
Metabolic alkalosis
Respiratory acidosis
Respiratory alkalosis
Loss of bicarbonate: diarrhea, ileus, fistula, high-output ileostomy, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors
Increase in acids: lactic acidosis (ischemia), ketoacidosis, renal failure, necrotic tissue
NGT suction, loss of gastric HCl through vomiting/NGT
Vomiting, NG suction, diuretics, alkali ingestion, mineralocorticoid excess
Hypoventilation (e.g., CNS depression), drugs (e.g., morphine), PTX, pleural effusion, parenchymal lung disease, acute airway obstruction
Hyperventilation (e.g., anxiety, pain, fever, wrong ventilator settings)
What is the “classic” acid- base finding with significant vomiting or NGT suctioning?
Hypokalemic hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis
Why hypokalemia with NGT suctioning?
Loss in gastric fluid—loss of HCl causes alkalosis, driving K into cells
What is the treatment for hypokalemic hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis?
IVF, Cl/K replacement
What is paradoxic alkalotic aciduria?
Seen in severe hypokalemic, hypovolemic, hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis with paradoxic metabolic alkalosis of serum and acidic urine
How does paradoxic alkalotic aciduria occur?
H is lost in the urine in exchange for Na in an attempt to restore volume
With paradoxic alkalotic aciduria, why is H preferentially lost?
H is exchanged preferentially into the urine instead of K because of the low concentration of K
What can be followed to assess fluid status?
Urine output, base deficit, lactic acid, vital signs, weight changes, skin turgor, jugular venous distention (JVD), mucosal membranes, rales (crackles), central venous pressure, PCWP, chest x-ray findings
With hypovolemia, what changes occur in vital signs?
Tachycardia, tachypnea, initial rise in diastolic blood pressure because of clamping down (peripheral vasoconstric- tion) with subsequent decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressures
What are the insensible fluid losses?
Loss of fluid not measured:
Feces—100 to 200 mL/24 hours
Breathing—500 to 700 mL/24 hours
(Note: increases with fever and
tachypnea)
Skin—300 mL/24 hours, increased
with fever; thus, insensible fluid loss is not directly measured
What are the quantities of daily secretions:
Bile
Gastric
Pancreatic
Small intestine
Saliva
1000 mL/24 hours
2000 mL/ 24 hours
600 mL/ 24 hours
3000 mL/day
1500 mL/24 hours
(Note: almost all secretions are reabsorbed)