Surgical Pharmacology and Anesthesia Flashcards
7 cards from real Certified Surgical Technologist practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Surgical Pharmacology and Anesthesia flashcards as text
Which reversal agent is used to antagonize the effects of non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents?
Answer: Neostigmine
Neostigmine is an anticholinesterase agent that reverses non-depolarizing neuromuscular blockade by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase.
A patient undergoing general anesthesia develops sudden hyperthermia, muscle rigidity, and tachycardia. Which drug is the primary treatment?
Answer: Dantrolene
Dantrolene sodium is the specific treatment for malignant hyperthermia, acting by inhibiting calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum.
Which local anesthetic has the longest duration of action and is commonly used for postoperative pain blocks?
Answer: Bupivacaine
Bupivacaine is an amide-type local anesthetic with a long duration of action (4–12 hours), making it ideal for postoperative nerve blocks.
Which opioid analgesic is most commonly administered intraoperatively as a continuous infusion due to its rapid onset and titrability?
Answer: Remifentanil
Remifentanil has an ultra-short half-life due to ester hydrolysis, making it ideal for intraoperative infusion with rapid offset upon discontinuation.
The scrub technologist is preparing heparin for a vascular procedure. What is the antidote if heparin-induced bleeding occurs?
Answer: Protamine sulfate
Protamine sulfate neutralizes heparin by forming a stable ion pair complex, reversing its anticoagulant effect.
Which type of anesthesia involves injecting anesthetic agents into the subarachnoid space to produce regional numbness?
Answer: Spinal anesthesia
Spinal anesthesia delivers local anesthetic directly into the cerebrospinal fluid in the subarachnoid space for dense regional blockade.
Which medication class is used preoperatively to reduce gastric acidity and decrease risk of aspiration pneumonitis?
Answer: H2-receptor antagonists
H2-receptor antagonists such as ranitidine reduce gastric acid secretion, decreasing risk and severity of aspiration pneumonitis.