CST CST Pharmacology & Anesthesia 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which medication classification includes drugs like heparin that are commonly used during vascular surgery to prevent clot formation?
- Anticoagulants (Correct answer)
- Antibiotics
- Vasoconstrictors
- Diuretics
Correct answer: Anticoagulants
Anticoagulants such as heparin are administered during vascular procedures to prevent thrombus formation.
Question 2: What type of anesthesia blocks a specific nerve or group of nerves to provide pain relief to a localized area without causing unconsciousness?
- General anesthesia
- Regional anesthesia (Correct answer)
- Monitored anesthesia care
- Topical anesthesia
Correct answer: Regional anesthesia
Regional anesthesia, such as a nerve block or spinal block, targets a specific nerve region while the patient remains conscious.
Question 3: The surgical technologist notices a labeled irrigation solution on the sterile field that contains epinephrine. What is the primary purpose of adding epinephrine to a local anesthetic?
- To speed healing
- To reduce bleeding by causing vasoconstriction (Correct answer)
- To increase the patient's blood pressure
- To prevent infection
Correct answer: To reduce bleeding by causing vasoconstriction
Epinephrine causes local vasoconstriction, which slows absorption of the anesthetic and reduces bleeding at the surgical site.
Question 4: Which reversal agent is administered to counteract the effects of opioid overdose or respiratory depression in the perioperative setting?
- Neostigmine
- Naloxone (Correct answer)
- Atropine
- Flumazenil
Correct answer: Naloxone
Naloxone (Narcan) is an opioid antagonist used to reverse opioid-induced respiratory depression.
Question 5: A sterile medication is transferred from a vial to the sterile field by the circulator. What is the correct method for the scrub tech to label the medication on the field?
- Label it verbally to the surgeon
- Immediately label the container with drug name, concentration, and date (Correct answer)
- Wait until the end of the case to label
- Place it next to the syringe without labeling
Correct answer: Immediately label the container with drug name, concentration, and date
All medications on the sterile field must be labeled immediately with drug name, concentration, and date per AORN standards to prevent medication errors.
Question 6: Which anesthetic agent is a commonly used inhalation agent delivered via the anesthesia machine to maintain general anesthesia?
- Propofol
- Ketamine
- Sevoflurane (Correct answer)
- Midazolam
Correct answer: Sevoflurane
Sevoflurane is a volatile inhalation anesthetic widely used for the maintenance of general anesthesia during surgery.
CST CST Pharmacology & Anesthesia 1
Which medication classification includes drugs like heparin that are commonly used during vascular surgery to prevent clot formation?