What happens to autoclave tape after a pack has been sterilized?
Correct Answer: D
Autoclave tape indicates exposure to steam by turning black in a striped pattern, not dots or other colors. It does not verify sterility, peak temperature reached, or duration at peak temperature. Indicator tape is typically placed on the exterior of the pack. In contrast, chemical indicator strips are placed in the center of packs, turn black when contacted by steam for a specified time period, and indicate sterility.
Question 162
At what anesthetic stage may breath holding occur?
Correct Answer: B
Anesthesia has been described as a series of four stages with specific reflexes and/or signs: Stage 1: The period between administration of an anesthetic and loss of consciousness. Respiratory efforts change as anesthesia deepens. In Stage 1, the animal is awake and respiration may be quite rapid due to the excitation of being handled. It is evenly apportioned between the chest and abdomen and is quite regular. Stage 2: The period after the loss of consciousness, which may include actions such as uncontrolled movement, delirium, vocalization. Muscle tone decreases from a maximum during Stage 2 all the way through Stage 3. Jaw tone is a good indication of muscle tone. Breathing is still evenly apportioned between chest and abdomen but is less regular and breath-holding may occur, but some patients may also hold their breath here. Stage 3: The level at which surgery can be performed. Shine a light in the eye and the pupil constricts (present at the start of Stage 3 and starts to decrease and will be absent by about the middle of Stage 3). Touch the corner of the eye or the cornea and the animal blinks (disappears early in Stage 3). Simulation of the larynx will cause the animal to swallow. The stimulation may be from outside, for example, an attempt to pass an endotracheal tube, or may be internal, for example, the presence of secretions at the larynx. This is a mechanism to prevent accidental aspiration of fluids into the lungs. This reflex will disappear early in Stage 3. Early in Stage 3, breathing is regular with equal contributions from chest and abdomen. As anesthesia deepens, breathing becomes shallower and more predominantly abdominal. Late in Stage 3, it becomes irregular and in Stage 4, it will stop. Stage 3 anesthesia is divided into three planes: *Plane 1: "Light" anesthesia - the animal still has a blink and swallowing reflexes, and regular respiration. *Plane 2: "Surgical" anesthesia - the animal has lost blink reflexes, pupils become fixed and respiration is regular. *Plane 3: "Deep" anesthesia - the animal starts losing the ability to use the respiratory muscles and breathing becomes shallow; may require assisted ventilation. Stage 4: Anesthetic crisis! Respiratory arrest and death from circulatory collapse are imminent. Note: Some systems may divide Stage 3 into four planes, with plane 3 and 4 deeper than ideal.
Question 163
You are a non-sterile technician assisting in surgery, and you are asked to pass something to the surgeon. You must move past the sterile technician or surgeon to do so. What is the safest way to do so, ensuring you maintain sterility?
Correct Answer: D
When passing by a sterile person intraoperatively, you want to ensure that you do not disrupt the sterile field. This means not brushing up against the instrument tray, patient drapes, or sterile personnel. You want to face back to back with whomever you must pass to do so. Remember, the back of the gown is not considered sterile. The sterile area for scrubbed-in personnel would include the front of the gown extending below the shoulders to the waist or table level. The neckline, remember, is not sterile. So, even though the gown is tied in the back and covers the person, the back is not considered sterile. Thus, going back to back ensures you will not touch any portion of the sterile field. All other responses would cause contamination.
Question 164
Laminitis is a disease that primarily occurs in adult horses, though its exact cause is unknown. What part of the horse's body does laminitis directly affect?
Correct Answer: A
Laminitis, also known as founder, is a disease that directly affects a horse's feet. Laminitis can occur in only the front feet, or in all four feet, and causes the sensitive laminae of the horse's feet to become inflamed. This disease is serious and often life-threatening. Lamina corium is present between the hoof wall and the third phalanx. It provides nutrition to parts of the foot. This is the area that becomes inflamed. Laminitis is not a disease that directly affects a horse's joints, bones, or organs.
Question 165
Which of the following is a potential complication of tooth extraction?
Correct Answer: A
Iatrogenic jaw fractures can occur with extraction of any mandibular teeth and in any dog. However, it is more common with small dogs, especially those with extensive periodontal disease and alveolar bone loss. Other common complications of tooth extraction include infection, dehiscence, prolonged bleeding, swelling, bruising, sinus exposure, nerve injury, bone fragments, and osteonecrosis. Enamel dysplasia is a developmental abnormality that can be hereditary, traumatic, or secondary to systemic disease (distemper, for example). Wry bite is a malocclusion of the upper and lower incisors due to unilateral asymmetry of the maxilla and mandible. It is caused by one side of the jaw growing more than the other side, often due to trauma during development, but hereditary causes are possible. Dilaceration is a developmental abnormality resulting in a sharp bend in either the crown or root.
