Nurse Anesthesia Secrets

Book excerpt: Nurse Anesthesia Secrets, part of the Nursing Secrets series, provides certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and nurse anesthesia students with a comprehensive review of topics relevant to nurse anesthesia practice. Organized in an easily accessible question & answer format, the text includes clinically relevant topics, such as equipment, anesthetic management for patients with specific disorders, pharmacology, anesthetic considerations for specific surgical procedures and many more. This format also provides an easy-to-use and comprehensive reference that helps everyone from the busy practitioner researching a case management issue to the student researching and preparing a plan of care. Lists 50 Top Secrets of nurse anesthesia practice in the front matter for quick reference. Features Key Points boxes to emphasize the most important material in the chapter. Provides Internet Resources in each chapter for further studying and reference. Uses an effective two-color layout to provide answers to the most commonly asked questions regarding nurse anesthesia practice. Designed for nurse anesthesia students and CRNA practitioners. Highlights intraopertive monitoring, anesthesia techniques, anesthesia implications of specific disorders, and anesthetic management for specific surgeries. Section I. Anesthesia Equipment and Monitors describes important concepts for safe monitoring and patient positioning during anesthesia. Section II. Clinical Pharmacology describes common medications used or encountered in the perioperative period. Indications, mechanisms of action, and side effects are highlighted. Section III. Disorders and Disease States describes physiologic principles and anesthesia principles associated with specific systems. The anesthetic management of patients with specific disorders is also covered. Section IV. Surgical Procedures describes common surgical procedures and their anesthetic management. Section V. Special Patient Populations describes important anesthetic management concepts for selected patient groups, including geriatric, obese, and pediatric patients. Section VI. Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management describes commonly used regional anesthesia techniques and key concepts regarding pain management. Section VII. Special Considerations describes miscellaneous concepts that are relevant to nurse anesthesia practice, including professional structure, legal terminology, and latex allergy.