Certified Surgical Technologist Surgical Pharmacology and Anesthesia 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which condition is characterized by hypotension, bronchospasm, and urticaria occurring after drug administration, requiring immediate epinephrine treatment?
- Malignant hyperthermia
- Anaphylaxis (Correct answer)
- Neuroleptic malignant syndrome
- Septic shock
Correct answer: Anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction involving IgE-mediated mast cell degranulation, treated immediately with epinephrine 0.3–0.5 mg IM.
Question 2: What is the correct concentration of epinephrine typically used in a 1:1,000 solution for anaphylaxis treatment?
- 0.01 mg/mL
- 0.1 mg/mL
- 1 mg/mL (Correct answer)
- 10 mg/mL
Correct answer: 1 mg/mL
A 1:1,000 epinephrine solution contains 1 mg per mL, which is the concentration used for intramuscular injection in anaphylaxis.
Question 3: A scrub technologist receives a syringe labeled 'Vasopressin 20 units' for a laparoscopic hysterectomy. What is its primary surgical use?
- To increase urinary output intraoperatively
- To constrict blood vessels and reduce local bleeding (Correct answer)
- To stimulate uterine contractions for delivery
- To prevent deep vein thrombosis
Correct answer: To constrict blood vessels and reduce local bleeding
Vasopressin is injected locally to cause vasoconstriction, significantly reducing blood loss during gynecologic and other surgeries.
Question 4: Which route of administration provides the fastest onset of drug action in emergency situations?
- Oral (PO)
- Intramuscular (IM)
- Subcutaneous (SQ)
- Intravenous (IV) (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Intravenous (IV)
Intravenous administration delivers drugs directly into the bloodstream, providing immediate bioavailability and the fastest onset of action.
Question 5: What does the term 'half-life' of a drug refer to in pharmacokinetics?
- Time for the drug to reach peak effect
- Time for 50% of the drug to be eliminated from the body (Correct answer)
- Time required for first-pass metabolism
- Duration of the drug's therapeutic effect
Correct answer: Time for 50% of the drug to be eliminated from the body
Half-life (t½) is the time required for plasma concentration of a drug to decrease by 50%, which determines dosing intervals and time to steady state.
Question 6: Which topical hemostatic agent derived from bovine thrombin combined with gelatin is commonly applied to surgical sites to control bleeding?
- Surgicel
- Floseal (Correct answer)
- Avitene
- Gelfoam
Correct answer: Floseal
Floseal is a hemostatic matrix combining bovine-derived gelatin granules and thrombin that swells to tamponade bleeding and activates the coagulation cascade.
Question 7: When administering medications on the sterile field, what is the correct way to accept a drug from the circulator?
- The scrub picks up the vial from an unsterile surface
- The circulator hands the open vial directly to the scrub
- The circulator pours or drops the drug into a labeled sterile cup held by the scrub (Correct answer)
- The scrub reaches over the sterile field boundary to take the drug
Correct answer: The circulator pours or drops the drug into a labeled sterile cup held by the scrub
The circulator pours or drops the drug into a sterile, labeled receptacle held by the scrub to maintain aseptic technique and prevent contamination.
Certified Surgical Technologist Surgical Pharmacology and Anesthesia 5
Which condition is characterized by hypotension, bronchospasm, and urticaria occurring after drug administration, requiring immediate epinephrine treatment?