CAA CAA Anesthesia Equipment & Technology 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which FDA-mandated checkout step requires occluding the patient port and confirming no pressure loss on the breathing system?
- High-pressure system leak test
- Low-pressure system leak test (Correct answer)
- Pipeline pressure check
- Absorber bypass test
Correct answer: Low-pressure system leak test
The low-pressure system leak test checks the integrity of the circuit from the flowmeters to the common gas outlet by occluding the patient port and squeezing the reservoir bag.
Question 2: The desflurane Tec 6 vaporizer requires an external power source primarily because:
- Desflurane has an extremely low boiling point requiring active heating to 39°C (Correct answer)
- Desflurane is flammable at room temperature
- Desflurane concentration cannot be dialed manually
- Desflurane requires carrier gas pressurization
Correct answer: Desflurane has an extremely low boiling point requiring active heating to 39°C
Desflurane's boiling point is 22.8°C (near room temperature), so the Tec 6 electrically heats and pressurizes the agent to deliver accurate, consistent concentrations.
Question 3: Which anesthesia ventilator mode delivers a set tidal volume regardless of changes in lung compliance?
- Pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV)
- Volume-controlled ventilation (VCV) (Correct answer)
- Pressure support ventilation (PSV)
- Synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV)
Correct answer: Volume-controlled ventilation (VCV)
Volume-controlled ventilation delivers a preset tidal volume with each breath; airway pressure varies according to lung compliance and resistance.
Question 4: In a Mapleson D (Bain) circuit, adequate CO2 elimination during spontaneous ventilation requires fresh gas flow of approximately:
- 50 mL/kg/min
- 100–150 mL/kg/min
- 200–300 mL/kg/min (Correct answer)
- 500 mL/kg/min
Correct answer: 200–300 mL/kg/min
To prevent CO2 rebreathing during spontaneous ventilation with a Bain (Mapleson D) circuit, fresh gas flow of approximately 200–300 mL/kg/min (roughly 2–3× minute ventilation) is required.
Question 5: The adjustable pressure-limiting (APL) valve on an anesthesia circuit is used to:
- Set inspiratory flow rate during mechanical ventilation
- Control maximum circuit pressure during manual or spontaneous ventilation (Correct answer)
- Regulate the oxygen-to-nitrous ratio
- Measure end-tidal CO2 concentration
Correct answer: Control maximum circuit pressure during manual or spontaneous ventilation
The APL valve vents excess gas to the scavenging system and limits maximum breathing circuit pressure during manual bagging or spontaneous ventilation.
Question 6: Mainstream capnography differs from sidestream capnography in that mainstream analyzers:
- Sample gas by aspirating it to a remote analyzer
- Place the measurement sensor directly in the airway at the patient connection (Correct answer)
- Provide faster response times but require larger sample volumes
- Are incompatible with intubated patients
Correct answer: Place the measurement sensor directly in the airway at the patient connection
Mainstream capnography places the infrared sensor directly at the airway connector, measuring CO2 in real time without sample aspiration, reducing response time.
CAA CAA Anesthesia Equipment & Technology 2
Which FDA-mandated checkout step requires occluding the patient port and confirming no pressure loss on the breathing system?