DAANCE Pharmacology 3

Question 1

Opioid-induced nausea and vomiting occurs primarily through stimulation of which brain region?

Accepted Answer

Chemoreceptor trigger zone (CTZ) in the area postrema

Answer

Cerebral cortex (frontal lobe)

Answer

Hypothalamic thermoregulatory center

Answer

Limbic system amygdala

Question 2

Which drug class interaction is the basis of serotonin syndrome risk when combining certain pain medications?

Accepted Answer

Serotonin-increasing drugs (SSRIs, MAOIs, meperidine) combined causing serotonergic excess

Answer

Opioid plus benzodiazepine causing respiratory depression synergy

Answer

NSAID plus local anesthetic causing systemic toxicity potentiation

Answer

Corticosteroid plus epinephrine causing hypertensive crisis

Question 3

A ceiling effect for analgesia at higher doses is a characteristic of which drug class?

Accepted Answer

Partial mu-opioid agonists (buprenorphine)

Answer

Full mu-opioid agonists (morphine, fentanyl)

Answer

Alpha-2 agonists (clonidine, dexmedetomidine)

Answer

Benzodiazepines (midazolam, diazepam)

Question 4

The anticholinergic drug atropine, when given for emergency bradycardia, works by:

Accepted Answer

Blocking muscarinic receptors, removing vagal inhibition of SA node automaticity

Answer

Directly stimulating the SA node automaticity via beta-1 agonism

Answer

Increasing intracellular calcium in cardiac pacemaker cells

Answer

Releasing norepinephrine from sympathetic nerve terminals

Question 5

Nitrous oxide diffuses into closed gas-containing body spaces faster than nitrogen exits because:

Accepted Answer

Nitrous oxide is approximately 34 times more blood-soluble than nitrogen, allowing rapid diffusion

Answer

Nitrous oxide has a higher molecular weight than nitrogen

Answer

Nitrogen has greater affinity for blood proteins than nitrous oxide

Answer

Nitrous oxide is heavier than air and settles into enclosed spaces

Question 6

Which property of a local anesthetic determines how quickly it produces nerve block onset?

Accepted Answer

pKa relative to tissue pH (proportion of unionized form available to diffuse through nerve membrane)

Answer

Protein binding percentage

Answer

Lipid solubility determining intracellular drug storage

Answer

Molecular weight affecting diffusion across the axon membrane