Safety and Compliance Flashcards
7 cards from real FANZCA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Safety and Compliance flashcards as text
Under ANZCA PS09, which of the following patients requires the continuous physical presence of an anaesthetist or anaesthetic assistant throughout the procedure?
Answer: Any patient undergoing general, regional, or sedation anaesthesia administered by an anaesthetist
ANZCA PS09 mandates that an anaesthetist or trained assistant be continuously present whenever an anaesthetist administers anaesthesia, regardless of ASA status or procedure type.
A patient with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is prescribed postoperative opioid analgesia. The most appropriate safety measure is:
Answer: Use continuous pulse oximetry monitoring, minimise opioid dose, and consider multimodal analgesia
Patients with OSA have increased opioid sensitivity and upper airway vulnerability, requiring monitored settings, opioid-sparing strategies, and multimodal analgesia.
The principal purpose of an anaesthetic drug trolley 'standardised layout' policy is to:
Answer: Decrease the risk of drug errors by ensuring consistent drug placement across all theatres
Standardised drug trolley layouts reduce cognitive load and error risk by ensuring anaesthetists find the same drugs in the same positions in every theatre.
Which of the following is a recognised risk factor for perioperative anaphylaxis specifically associated with anaesthesia?
Answer: Neuromuscular blocking agents, latex, and certain antibiotics administered intraoperatively
Neuromuscular blocking agents are the most common cause of perioperative anaphylaxis; latex and antibiotics (particularly beta-lactams) are also well-recognised triggers.
In the recovery room, a patient develops stridor 30 minutes after extubation. The most likely cause in the early post-extubation period is:
Answer: Laryngospasm or laryngeal oedema due to airway trauma or residual irritants
Early post-extubation stridor is most commonly caused by laryngospasm, laryngeal oedema, or vocal cord dysfunction related to airway trauma or irritation.
Regarding waste anaesthetic gas (WAG) exposure in the operating theatre, which measure is most effective at reducing staff exposure?
Answer: Use of properly functioning scavenging systems connected to the anaesthetic machine
Active scavenging systems that capture and remove exhaled and vented anaesthetic gases at source are the most effective measure to reduce WAG exposure.
When obtaining informed consent for anaesthesia, which of the following represents the current Australian legal standard following Rogers v Whitaker (1992)?
Answer: Disclose risks that a reasonable patient in the individual patient's position would want to know
Rogers v Whitaker established the patient-centred standard: risks material to the particular patient must be disclosed, not just those a reasonable practitioner would mention.