CVA Surgical and Laboratory Assisting 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A dog undergoing surgery develops bradycardia. Which drug is most commonly used to treat this condition intraoperatively?
- Epinephrine
- Atropine (Correct answer)
- Dopamine
- Lidocaine
Correct answer: Atropine
Atropine is an anticholinergic drug that blocks vagal tone and increases heart rate, making it the first-line treatment for intraoperative bradycardia.
Question 2: What type of needle is preferred for suturing skin in veterinary patients?
- Taper-point needle
- Reverse cutting needle (Correct answer)
- Round-body needle
- Blunt-point needle
Correct answer: Reverse cutting needle
Reverse cutting needles have the cutting edge on the outer curve, making them ideal for tough tissues like skin because they resist cutting through the suture line.
Question 3: Which laboratory value is most useful for evaluating hepatic (liver) function in dogs and cats?
- Creatinine
- Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)
- Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (Correct answer)
- Amylase
Correct answer: Alanine aminotransferase (ALT)
ALT is a liver-specific enzyme in dogs and cats; elevations indicate hepatocellular damage, making it the primary marker for hepatic disease.
Question 4: During patient preparation for surgery, what is the minimum distance the clipped area should extend beyond the incision site?
- 1 cm on each side
- 2 inches (5 cm) on each side (Correct answer)
- 5 inches on each side
- Only the incision line needs to be clipped
Correct answer: 2 inches (5 cm) on each side
The standard is to clip at least 2 inches (5 cm) beyond the planned incision on all sides to provide an adequate sterile surgical field.
Question 5: Which type of suture material is absorbable and commonly used for internal tissues in veterinary surgery?
- Nylon
- Polypropylene
- Polyglycolic acid (PGA) (Correct answer)
- Stainless steel
Correct answer: Polyglycolic acid (PGA)
Polyglycolic acid (PGA) is a synthetic absorbable suture material commonly used for internal tissues because it degrades by hydrolysis over time.
Question 6: When reading a blood smear, which finding would indicate thrombocytopenia?
- An increased number of neutrophils
- A decreased number of platelets per field (Correct answer)
- The presence of nucleated red blood cells
- An increase in monocyte count
Correct answer: A decreased number of platelets per field
Thrombocytopenia is a decrease in platelet (thrombocyte) count; on a blood smear, fewer platelets than normal would be observed per high-power field.
Question 7: What is the primary reason chlorhexidine is preferred over povidone-iodine for surgical site preparation in many veterinary practices?
- It is less expensive
- It has a longer residual antimicrobial activity after application (Correct answer)
- It is effective against a narrower spectrum of organisms
- It works faster but requires more applications
Correct answer: It has a longer residual antimicrobial activity after application
Chlorhexidine binds to skin proteins and provides prolonged residual antimicrobial activity, making it more effective over time than povidone-iodine.
CVA Surgical and Laboratory Assisting 5
A dog undergoing surgery develops bradycardia.
Which drug is most commonly used to treat this condition intraoperatively?