As a technician, you will often be asked to handle species for restraint for physical exams and procedures. If you are asked to handle a snake, make sure you are confident that the species is non-venomous and that you are comfortable holding it. With snakes, it is critical to ensure you pick them up safely. What is the safest way to pick up and restrain a snake?
Correct Answer: D
Reptiles' axial skeleton differs from that of mammals in several ways. Besides being flexible, the skeleton of a reptile has only one occipital condyle within the axial skeleton. As a result, though it allows for vast mobility of the head on the spine, this connection can be somewhat fragile. This necessitates extreme care while restraining reptilian species. Many other factors also warrant gentle and conscientious handling, including additional musculoskeletal differences and means of thermoregulation. As a result, the safest way to restrain a snake is by securing the head first. One does so by placing the index finger on top of the head with the thumb and middle finger behind the mandible while standing behind the patient. The rest of the hand can then wrap around the neck gently. After the head is controlled, support the body with the other hand. This is often only feasible with small snakes, while larger snakes may require two hands on the head alone and another person(s) to restrain the body. Holding the top of the head with one hand and the body with the other is insufficient to restrain the animal. Because the axial skeleton design allows carnivorous reptiles to ingest whole live prey, they can open their mouths extremely wide. Controlling the head is critical; to do so safely and effectively, one needs to actually hold it behind the mandible to prevent it from being able to bite. Never lift the snake up by the tail, regardless of the position it is in, as it can be easily damaged and may become highly threatening and dangerous. You may be able to pick up a snake by gently grasping it at midbody and lifting the body up to you, but it mentions nothing of controlling the head, which is key.
Question 247
What is the name of the bone-like connective tissue that covers the tooth roots?
Correct Answer: C
Cementum is the bone-like connective tissue covering the tooth roots and providing mechanical support. Cementum helps secure a tooth into the alveolus and is radiodense, similar to dentin and bone. Dentin is the hard tissue that forms the bulk of a tooth's volume. It is covered by enamel on the crown and cementum on the root. Enamel is the most superficial layer of a tooth's crown. Pulp is composed of connective tissue, blood vessels, and nerves that occupy the tooth center.
Question 248
Mandibular prognathism can also be known as which of the following?
Correct Answer: D
Class I malocclusions (neutroclusion) occur when one or more teeth are in an abnormal position (misaligned). The maxilla and mandible develop in a normal relationship to each other. A Class I tooth may be pointing in the wrong direction or rotated. Common examples include rostral crossbites and linguoversion (also called base-narrow canines). Class II-III malocclusions affect jaw length rather than tooth position alone. Class II malocclusions (distoclusion) occur when the maxilla is forward (maxillary prognathism) and the mandible develops caudally (mandibular retrognathism). Other names include brachygnathism, overbite, and parrot mouth. These are most commonly observed in dolichocephalic dogs (long maxilla and narrow skulls). Class III malocclusions (mesioclusion) occur when the mandible is forward (mandibular prognathism) relative to the maxilla (maxillary retrognathism). Other names include prognathism and underbite. These are commonly observed in brachycephalic dogs. Additional malocclusions may be described, such as those created by an abnormal number of teeth in the mouth and other abnormalities that are non-specific, such as wry mouth. This simply pertains to various occlusal abnormalities that occur unilaterally.
Question 249
Your surgeon wants an absorbable suture but is starting to get a migraine. She cannot seem to find her words. She asks you to get her an absorbable suture. She wants a material that will last the longest possible before absorbing. Which of the following would you not want to hand her?
Correct Answer: A
Absorbable sutures are classified as a suture that loses most of their strength no later than 60 days after positioning. Materials can be synthetic, such as polyglactin 910 (Vicryl) or poliglecaprone 25 (Monocryl). Synthetic materials degrade by hydrolysis. Suture materials can also be natural substances that absorb via degradation through enzymes. Catgut: *Multifilament made from the intestines of usually sheep, goats, or cattle *Consists of mostly a solution of alcohol with collagen *It maintains its strength the shortest of any other type of suture *Plain gut suture is retained for 7-10 days before absorbing, while chromic gut lasts 10-14 days. *Basically, either form is gone in a maximum of 2 weeks. Sounds great, right? However, it is highly stimulating to the immune system and commonly causes reactions. Thus, it is primarily used for structural layers such as the linea alba. Synthetic sutures include Vicryl (Polyglactin 910), Poliglecaprone 25 (Monocryl), and Polydioxanone (PDS). Vicryl: *Braided multifilament *Good handling attributes *Results in minimal tissue inflammation *It can be used in contaminated wounds *Less resistant to contamination, however, than monofilament suture *Absorption can take 60 to 70 days to complete Monocryl: *Monofilamentous suture *One of the strongest absorbable sutures in production today *Good knot security *Decent handling attributes *But 80% of the tensile strength is lost after only 14 days. *Absorbed by 90 to 120 days PDS: *Monofilamentous suture *Monofilamentous sutures have higher initial tensile strength than multifilament-type sutures *But this has poor knot security *Approximate strength loss at 14 days, though, is only 14% *Generally absorbed in 180 days, it lasts the longest of the four mentioned here.
Question 250
All of the following are crystalloid fluids, except:
Correct Answer: B
Crystalloids and colloids are two classes of intravenous fluids. Hydroxyethyl starch (hestastarch)is a synthetic colloid fluid, not a crystalloid. Recently, concern has been raised about the safety of hydroxyethyl starch and the increased risk of renal injury and coagulopathies. Examples of crystalloid solutions are 0.9% NaCl, Plasmalyte 148, and Normosol R.
