Certified Surgical Technologist Surgical Pharmacology and Anesthesia 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which reversal agent is used to antagonize the effects of non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents?
- Naloxone
- Neostigmine (Correct answer)
- Flumazenil
- Protamine sulfate
Correct answer: Neostigmine
Neostigmine is an anticholinesterase agent that reverses non-depolarizing neuromuscular blockade by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase.
Question 2: A patient undergoing general anesthesia develops sudden hyperthermia, muscle rigidity, and tachycardia. Which drug is the primary treatment?
- Succinylcholine
- Dantrolene (Correct answer)
- Neostigmine
- Haloperidol
Correct answer: Dantrolene
Dantrolene sodium is the specific treatment for malignant hyperthermia, acting by inhibiting calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum.
Question 3: Which local anesthetic has the longest duration of action and is commonly used for postoperative pain blocks?
- Lidocaine
- Procaine
- Bupivacaine (Correct answer)
- Chloroprocaine
Correct 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.
Question 4: Which opioid analgesic is most commonly administered intraoperatively as a continuous infusion due to its rapid onset and titrability?
- Morphine
- Meperidine
- Remifentanil (Correct answer)
- Codeine
Correct answer: Remifentanil
Remifentanil has an ultra-short half-life due to ester hydrolysis, making it ideal for intraoperative infusion with rapid offset upon discontinuation.
Question 5: The scrub technologist is preparing heparin for a vascular procedure. What is the antidote if heparin-induced bleeding occurs?
- Vitamin K
- Fresh frozen plasma
- Protamine sulfate (Correct answer)
- Tranexamic acid
Correct answer: Protamine sulfate
Protamine sulfate neutralizes heparin by forming a stable ion pair complex, reversing its anticoagulant effect.
Question 6: Which type of anesthesia involves injecting anesthetic agents into the subarachnoid space to produce regional numbness?
- Epidural anesthesia
- Spinal anesthesia (Correct answer)
- Brachial plexus block
- IV regional anesthesia
Correct answer: Spinal anesthesia
Spinal anesthesia delivers local anesthetic directly into the cerebrospinal fluid in the subarachnoid space for dense regional blockade.
Question 7: Which medication class is used preoperatively to reduce gastric acidity and decrease risk of aspiration pneumonitis?
- Beta blockers
- H2-receptor antagonists (Correct answer)
- Calcium channel blockers
- Alpha-2 agonists
Correct answer: H2-receptor antagonists
H2-receptor antagonists such as ranitidine reduce gastric acid secretion, decreasing risk and severity of aspiration pneumonitis.
Certified Surgical Technologist Surgical Pharmacology and Anesthesia 2
Which reversal agent is used to antagonize the effects of non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents?