Coagulation Monitoring
Key Points 1. Monitoring the effect of heparin is done using the activated coagulation time (ACT), a functional test of heparin anticoagulation. The ACT is susceptible to prolongation because of…
Central Nervous System Monitoring
Key Points 1. Electroencephalography can detect both cerebral ischemia or hypoxia and seizures and can measure hypnotic effect. 2. Middle-latency auditory-evoked potentials objectively document inadequate hypnosis. 3. Somatosensory-evoked potentials may…
Basic Intraoperative Transesophageal Echocardiography
Key Points 1. An ultrasound beam is a continuous or intermittent train of sound waves emitted by a transducer or wave generator that is composed of density or pressure. Ultrasound…
Electrocardiographic Monitoring
Key Points 1. The electrocardiogram reflects differences in transmembrane voltages in myocardial cells that occur during depolarization and repolarization within each cycle. 2. Processing of the electrocardiogram occurs in a…
Monitoring of the Heart and Vascular System
Key Points 1. Patients with severe cardiovascular disease and those undergoing surgery associated with rapid hemodynamic changes should be adequately monitored at all times. 2. Standard monitoring for cardiac surgery…
Cardiovascular Pharmacology
Key Points 1. Ischemia during the perioperative period demands immediate attention by the anesthesiologist. 2. Nitroglycerin is indicated in most cases of perioperative myocardial ischemia. Mechanisms of action include coronary…
Molecular and Genetic Cardiovascular Medicine and Systemic Inflammation
Key Points 1. The rapid development of molecular biologic and genetic techniques has greatly expanded the understanding of cardiac functioning, and these techniques are beginning to be applied clinically. 2….
Pharmacology of Anesthetic Drugs
Key Points 1. In patients, the observed acute effect of a specific anesthetic agent on the cardiovascular system represents the net effect on the myocardium, coronary blood flow (CBF), and…
Coronary Physiology and Atherosclerosis
Key Points 1. To care for patients with coronary artery disease in the perioperative period safely, the clinician must understand how the coronary circulation functions in health and disease. 2….
Cardiac Physiology
Key Points 1. The cartilaginous skeleton, myocardial fiber orientation, valves, blood supply, and conduction system of the heart determine its mechanical capabilities and limitations. 2. The cardiac myocyte is engineered…
