Surgery Flashcards
Why is surgical pre-op assessment performed?
Confirm site/side of the surgery
Identify risk
- Airway
- Anaesthetic
- (Surgery should have already occured)
- Post operative
- Special tests
- Measure body weight, height, BMI
Modify risk
- Pre op interventions
- Make decisions on medication (aspirin/metformin)
- Advice on fasting, stop smoking, consider risk of alcohol withdrawal
- Make decisions on post-op care (ICU/HDU)
- Antibiotics day of surgery
Describe additional considerations in surgical assessment
- Stop smoking for at least 24 hours before surgery
- Ask about problems with anaesthetics, and family problems with anaesthetics (malignant hyperpyrexia, myasthenia gravis)
- Know all drugs the patient is taking
- Stop drinking - ask about volume of alcohol in case of withdrawals
What is an ASA score?
- American society of anaesthesia
- 1 is healthy patient
- 2 minor systemic disease (obesity, smoking, pregnancy)
- 3 severe systemic disease (poorly controlled DM, HTN, alcohol dependence)
- 4 severe systemic disease, constant threat to life (recent MI, sepsisi, severely reduced EF)
Give examples of different magnitudes of surgery
Minor
- Skin lesion
- Breast abscess
Intermediate
- Inguinal hernia
- Varicose veins
- Knee arthroscopy
Major
- Thyroidecotomy
- Colonic resection
- Joint replacement
- Adrenalectomy
Major plus
- Cardiac surgery
Describe examination of the patient
- Obs (HR, BP, temp, O2 sats)
- Airway (neck extension/flexion, mouth opening, mallampati, jaw protrusion)
- CV (rate, rhythm, murmur)
- Respiratory
- Abdo
Describe mallampati grading
- Class 1 you can see hard and soft palate, uvula and pillars
- Class 2 you can see hard palate, soft palate and uvula
- Class 3 you can see hard palate and soft palate
- Class 4 hard palate only
Which investigations do you do before surgery?
ASA 1
- Nothing if minor or intermediate surgery
- ECG, FBC and U&E only if major complex surgery
ASA 2
- Renal function and ECG if intermediate
- FBC, ECG and renal function additionally if major or complex
ASA 3/4
- ECG and kidney function in minor surgery
- In intermediate surgery, FBC, haemostasis, kidney function, ECG, lung function, ABG
List special reactive tests based on medications
- BP medication check U&E
- Antiplatelets check FBC
- Anticoagulants FBC/coagulation
- Diabetes medication HbA1c
- Thyroid medications TFT
- Anaemia medications FBC
- Discuss pregnancy test with patient
- HbA1c only if known diabetic with no result in last 3 months
- Sickle cell only if family history
Describe medication advice for surgery
- Blood thinners may need to be stopped (anticoagulants and/or antiplatelets always in thyroid surgery)
- Diabetic meds may need to be stopped
- ACE-I stopped on the day of the surgery, B-blockers continued
How long should you avoid solid food and liquids pre-surgery?
- 6 hours
- Nil by mouth for 2 hours
Define acutely unwell
- New onset
- Deranged physiology
- Unstable
- May be shocked
Define sepsis
Life threatening condition of circulatory failure, causing inadequate oxygen delivery to meet cellular metabolic needs and oxygen consumption requirements
List the types of shock
- Hypovolaemia (haemorrhage or dehydration)
- Distributive (sepsis, neurogenic)
- Cardiogenic (arrythmia, pump failure)
- Obstructive (tamponade, pneumothoax)
What is third spacing?
Fluid, rather than being in the intravascular space, being lost to extravascular tissues
List surgical conditions causing patients to become acutely unwell
Perforations, obstructions, infections and inflammation, trauma, haemorrhage, ischaemia
- Booerhaves
- Gastric ulcer
- Duodenal ulcer
- Gallstone
- Diverticulitis
- Malignancy
- Appendicitis
- Adhesions/hernia
- Diverticulitis/ malignancy
- Renal stones
- Bleeding from ulcers, AAA
- Trauma
- Thrombus/embolus, strangulated hernia, limb thrombus/embolus
List causes of a patient becoming acutely unwell post-operative
Direct (specific)
- GI resection and anastamosis causing leakage
- Cholecystectomy causing biliary tree injury (leak, stenosis, occlusion)
- AAA repair leading to haemorrhage or ischaemia
- Secondary haemorrhage
Indirect consequence (general)
- MI, arrythmia, tamponade
- Atelectasis (collapse of a lung), pneumonia, PE, pneumothorax
- ARF
- glucose derrangement/ addisons/ drugs/ withdrawal
What is ABCDEFG?
Airway (look listen feel, head lift + jaw thrust, give high flow oxygen)
Breathing (look feel listen - rate, expansion, percussion, breast sounds)
Circulation (feel, perfusion, cap refill, HR, BP, abdo exam, give IV cannula, bloods and fluid)
Disability (AVPU, limbs, neuro)
Exposure (injuries/rashes, anaphylaxis)
DEFG - don’t ever forget glucose (check and replace)
List tests done in acutely unwell post-op patient
- ECG
- Urine
- Blood gas (oxygenation, lactate)
- FBC, renal function, electrlytes, clotting, group and save
- Chest x ray
Describe POSSUM scoring
- Enter patient physiological and operative variables
- Risk discussion with patient
- More invasive monitoring during operation
- Over 5% mortality risk in HDU/ITU post operative
List types of airway adjuncts/devices
- Bag mask ventilation
- Oropharyngeal airways
- Supraglottic devices sit above the level of the vocal cords. iGel is heat sensitive and mould to the airway, they are protective against aspiration but not suitable for abdominal surgery or high pressure procedures
- Endotracheal tubes are the definitive airways, they have a balloon at the end, inserted with a laryngoscope into the trachea and balloon is inflated below the level of the cords. Form a definitive airway used in GAs and ALS
- Guedels are airway adjuncts used alongside bag mask ventilation and can be used in the unconscious patient during BLS, not suitable for a long procedure, they keep the tongue from blocking the airway
Explain the WHO pain ladder
- Step 1 non-opioid (aspirin, paracetamol, NSAID)
- Stage 2 weak opioid (eg. codiene)
- Stage 3 strong opioid
List anti-emetic drugs used alongside pain relief
- Ondansetron (5HT3R antagonist)
- Cyclizine (H1 R antagonist)
- Dexamethasone (corticosteroid)
- Metoclopramide (central DA2 R antagonist)
- Prochlorperazine (DA antagonist)
Describe temperature control in surgery
- Keep temp over 26 degrees
- Bair hugger (warm air blanket) if over 30 mins procedure
- If longer, consider fluid warming
How is severe bronchospasm managed outside of theatre?
- Oxygen
- Salbutamol
- Hydrocortisone
- Ipatropium
- Theophylline/aminophylline
- Magnesium
List symptoms and signs of anaphylaxis
- Airway swelling (throat and tongue, feeling the throat is closing up, hoarse voice, stridor)
- Breathing problems (SOB, wheeze, tired, confusion due to hypoxia, cyanosis, respiratory arrest)
- Circulation (pale, clammy, tachycardia, hypotension, collapse, decreased consciousness, ECG changes and cardiac arrest)
Describe treatment of anaphylaxis
- Adrenaline IM NOT IV
- Establish airway
- High flow oxygen
- IV fluid
- Chlorphenamine and hydrocortisone
- Monitor pulse oximetry, ECG and blood pressure