Anesthesia and Surgical Principles Flashcards
7 cards from real DVM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Anesthesia and Surgical Principles flashcards as text
Which inhalant anesthetic has the highest blood:gas partition coefficient, resulting in the slowest induction and recovery?
Answer: Halothane
Halothane has the highest blood:gas partition coefficient (~2.4) among common inhalants, meaning more drug must dissolve in blood before equilibrium is reached, slowing induction and recovery.
A dog is in Trendelenburg position during abdominal surgery. Which physiologic consequence is most likely?
Answer: Increased intracranial pressure
Trendelenburg (head-down) position shifts abdominal contents cranially and increases intracranial pressure by impeding venous drainage from the head.
Which opioid is most appropriate for epidural analgesia in dogs due to its hydrophilicity and prolonged duration of action?
Answer: Morphine
Morphine's high hydrophilicity limits its spread within the epidural space, producing prolonged segmental analgesia lasting 12–24 hours.
During anesthesia, a cat develops a heart rate of 240 bpm with narrow QRS complexes and no visible P waves. The most likely diagnosis is:
Answer: Supraventricular tachycardia
Supraventricular tachycardia presents with narrow QRS complexes (indicating normal ventricular conduction) and absent or hidden P waves at rapid rates.
Which local anesthetic has the longest duration of action and is most cardiotoxic in overdose?
Answer: Bupivacaine
Bupivacaine provides the longest duration of local anesthesia but binds cardiac sodium channels with high affinity, making cardiac resuscitation after toxicity extremely difficult.
Which parameter best reflects the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) needed to prevent movement in 50% of patients exposed to a painful stimulus?
Answer: Alveolar partial pressure at steady state
MAC is defined as the alveolar (end-tidal) partial pressure of an inhalant at steady state that prevents purposeful movement in 50% of subjects.
A horse undergoing general anesthesia in lateral recumbency develops hypoxemia refractory to increasing FiO2. The most likely cause is:
Answer: Ventilation-perfusion mismatch due to dependent lung atelectasis
In lateral recumbency, the dependent lung receives more perfusion but less ventilation due to atelectasis and diaphragm compression, causing V/Q mismatch and refractory hypoxemia.