NAVLE Veterinary Anesthesia and Pain Management 3

Question 1

Which opioid analgesic is classified as a partial mu-opioid receptor agonist and exhibits a ceiling effect for analgesia at higher doses?

Accepted Answer

Buprenorphine

Answer

Buprenorphine is a partial mu-opioid agonist with very high receptor affinity; because it is a partial agonist, increasing the dose beyond a threshold does not produce proportionally greater analgesia, resulting in a ceiling effect.

Question 2

A dog undergoes hindlimb amputation. Which regional anesthetic technique would provide the MOST comprehensive perioperative analgesia for this procedure?

Accepted Answer

Lumbosacral epidural with morphine and lidocaine

Answer

A lumbosacral epidural combining an opioid (morphine) for prolonged analgesia and a local anesthetic (lidocaine/bupivacaine) for sensory and motor blockade provides the most effective and comprehensive analgesia for hindlimb amputations.

Question 3

NSAIDs reduce pain and inflammation primarily by inhibiting which enzyme, thereby reducing prostaglandin synthesis?

Accepted Answer

Cyclooxygenase (COX)

Answer

NSAIDs inhibit cyclooxygenase enzymes (COX-1 and/or COX-2), which are required to convert arachidonic acid into prostaglandins and thromboxanes, thereby reducing pain, inflammation, and fever.

Question 4

Among commonly used local anesthetics in veterinary medicine, which agent provides the LONGEST duration of nerve block?

Accepted Answer

Bupivacaine

Answer

Bupivacaine has the longest duration of action among common local anesthetics (4–8 hours for nerve blocks) due to its high protein binding and lipid solubility, making it ideal for postoperative pain management.

Question 5

Gabapentin is increasingly used in veterinary patients for chronic and neuropathic pain. What is its primary mechanism of action?

Accepted Answer

Voltage-gated calcium channel alpha-2-delta subunit inhibition

Answer

Gabapentin binds to the alpha-2-delta subunit of voltage-gated calcium channels in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, reducing excitatory neurotransmitter release and dampening central sensitization.

NAVLE - North American Veterinary Licensing Examination Practice Test

NAVLE - North American Veterinary Licensing Examination Practice Test

NAVLE Veterinary Anesthesia and Pain Management 3