Pharmacology Fundamentals Flashcards
7 cards from real ABA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Pharmacology Fundamentals flashcards as text
Which opioid is most appropriate for a patient with renal failure due to its lack of active metabolite accumulation?
Answer: Fentanyl
Fentanyl is preferred in renal failure because it lacks clinically significant active metabolites that accumulate with impaired clearance.
The mechanism by which volatile anesthetics produce immobility is primarily through action at:
Answer: Glycine and GABA-A receptors in the spinal cord
Immobility produced by volatile anesthetics is primarily mediated by enhanced inhibitory signaling at glycine and GABA-A receptors in the spinal cord dorsal horn.
A patient on chronic phenytoin therapy requires higher doses of rocuronium. This is best explained by:
Answer: Induction of hepatic CYP enzymes accelerating rocuronium metabolism
Phenytoin induces hepatic CYP enzymes, accelerating the metabolism of rocuronium and reducing its duration and potency.
Which pharmacokinetic parameter best predicts the duration of action of a single bolus dose of a highly lipophilic drug like thiopental?
Answer: Volume of distribution
With highly lipophilic drugs like thiopental, redistribution into peripheral tissues (reflected by volume of distribution) terminates the effect of a single bolus, not elimination.
Succinylcholine causes hyperkalemia by which mechanism?
Answer: Causing prolonged depolarization and potassium efflux through ACh receptors
Succinylcholine depolarizes the motor end plate, and potassium leaks out through persistently open ACh receptor channels, raising serum potassium.
The context-sensitive half-time of remifentanil is unique because it:
Answer: Remains short regardless of infusion duration due to ester hydrolysis
Remifentanil is metabolized by nonspecific plasma and tissue esterases, so its context-sensitive half-time remains approximately 3–5 minutes regardless of infusion duration.
Which property of local anesthetics determines the speed of onset of nerve block?
Answer: pKa relative to tissue pH
The pKa determines the fraction of un-ionized (neutral) drug at physiologic pH; a pKa closer to 7.4 means more un-ionized drug available to cross the nerve membrane, speeding onset.