1. What is balanced anesthesia? Provide examples of drugs that may be used with balanced anesthesia.
2. Describe the difference between the action of a general and local anesthetic. Give examples of when each type of anesthetic is used.
3. You are caring for an 11-year-old child who will be receiving a general anesthetic for surgery to repair a fractured femur. Prepare teaching handouts for the parents and the child that address preoperative and postoperative needs.
4. You are caring for a 30-year-old female patient going into surgery for a cholecystectomy. The patient will receive general anesthesia. Outline the preoperative and postoperative needs of the patient related to the general anesthesia.
5. For each prototype drug (thiopental, midazolam, nitrous oxide, halothane, benzocaine and lidocaine), determine which type of procedure this drug would be used for. Compare and contrast each drug with the other drugs in the classification. Consider differences and similarities among drugs in the same and different classifications.
6. List nursing considerations, safety measures, and teaching needs for patients receiving anesthetics. Explain your rationale for all statements.
7. Create a chart with the headings Local Anesthesia and General Anesthesia. Compare and contrast the preoperative and postoperative needs with each type of anesthesia.
8. Spend a day observing surgical procedures. Record the names of all anesthetics used during the day. Classify each anesthetic as general, regional, or local. For each classification of anesthetic, record the therapeutic actions, indications, pharmacokinetics, contraindications, the most common adverse reactions, and important drug-drug interactions.
9. Interview a nurse anesthetist or anesthesiologist. Determine which anesthetics he or she uses most frequently. Why are these the drugs of choice in the organization? What are the most common adverse reactions observed? What special considerations does he or she use with the most commonly used anesthetics?
10. Conduct an Internet search to determine which three anesthetics are used most frequently. The Web site anesthesia-analgesia provides a good starting point for your research. Summarize the finding of your research and discuss why these anesthetics are the drugs of choice.