Technology & Digital Tools Flashcards

Which cybersecurity threat poses the greatest operational risk to hospital anesthesia workstations connected to the OR network?

Answer: Ransomware encrypting device software and locking clinical access

Ransomware targeting networked medical devices can disable OR workstations and AIMS, directly disrupting anesthesia delivery and patient monitoring.

The ASA-endorsed Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) recommends which capnography application to reduce postoperative opioid-induced respiratory depression on general wards?

Answer: Continuous capnography monitoring for all patients receiving systemic opioids

APSF recommends continuous capnography for opioid-receiving ward patients because it detects apnea earlier than pulse oximetry alone.

In ultrasound-guided central venous catheter placement, real-time dynamic guidance compared to static landmark technique primarily reduces:

Answer: Arterial puncture and pneumothorax complication rates

Dynamic ultrasound guidance reduces mechanical complications—particularly arterial puncture and pneumothorax—by providing real-time needle visualization.

Pharmacokinetic modeling software used for TCI systems must be validated against which reference data to receive regulatory approval?

Answer: Measured blood concentration data from clinical pharmacokinetic studies

TCI models require validation against actual measured blood/plasma concentration data from human PK studies to demonstrate predictive accuracy.

Which data element in an electronic anesthesia record is most critical for reconstructing the timeline of intraoperative events for quality review?

Answer: Time-stamped drug administration and vital sign entries

Time-stamped drug and vital sign entries create a chronological record that allows quality reviewers to correlate interventions with hemodynamic responses.

Multiparameter physiologic trend analysis using machine learning in the perioperative setting has been most clinically validated for predicting:

Answer: Intraoperative hypotension before it occurs

Hypotension Prediction Index (HPI) and similar ML tools use arterial waveform features to warn of impending hypotension minutes in advance.

DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) is most relevant to anesthesiologists when:

Answer: Accessing intraoperative fluoroscopy or TEE images in the PACS system

DICOM is the standard format for medical images; anesthesiologists encounter it when viewing TEE, fluoroscopy, or CT images stored in PACS.