A morbidly obese patient is to undergo gastric stapling during general anesthesia. Following preoxygenation and induction, the oxygen saturation decreases after 40 seconds of laryngoscopy and attempted intubation. The rapid onset of arterial desaturation is most likely due to
A 67-year-old man undergoes a perineal procedure under epidural anesthesia in the lithotomy position with extreme flexion of the thigh at the hip. No sedatives are used, and the surgery is uneventful. Forty-eight hours later, the patient cannot flex his left knee. Which of the following is the most likely cause?
A healthy 30-year-old woman is undergoing laparoscopy with carbon dioxide insufflation under nitrous oxide 50% in oxygen, isoflurane 0.5%, fentanyl 150 u.g, and controlled ventilation. During the first 15 minutes of the procedure, blood pressure decreases 30%. The most likely cause is
(A) anesthetic overdose
(B) compression of the vena cava
(C) gas embolization
(D) hypercarbia
(E) hypoxemia
B
A 67-year-old man is undergoing total hip replacement under general anesthesia. He had a permanent endocardial VVI pacemaker placed two years ago for complete heart block, and since arrival in the operating room has been paced continuously. Use of the electrocautery causes the pacemaker to malfunction intermittently. The most appropriate management is to
(A) tape a magnet over the pacemaker generator and convert to asynchronous mode
(B) do nothing since the pacemaker is programmed to deal with this circumstance
(C) stop the surgeon from using the electrocautery
(D) limit the surgeon to 10 sec/min electrocautery bursts
(E) place the electrocautery indifferent lead as close as possible to the pacemaker