Miscellaneous Topics Flashcards
Describe the architecture of an atom.
The atom is the basic building block that makes up all matter. It consists of 3 components:
* Protons (+ charge)
* Neutrons (no charge)
* Electrons (- charge)
the protons and neutrons reside at the center of the atom, and together they form the nucleus. The number of protons in the nucleus determines the atom’s atomic number.
The electrons orbit the nucleus in the electron cloud. Because electrons have a negative charge, they are attracted to the positive charge of the nucleus. This keeps the electrons from flying away.
how do you know if an atom carries a charge? what is a charged atom called?
an atom will have a:
* Neutral charge if (# electrons = # protons
* Protons charge if: # electrons < # Protons
* Negative charge if: # electrons > # protons
An ion is an atom that carries a positive or negative charge
* An atom with a positive charge ( it has lost electrons) is called a cation
* An atom with a negative charge (it has gained electrons) is called an anion
What is an ionic bond?
An ionic bond involves the complete transfer of valence electron(s) from one atom to another. This leaves one atom with a negative charge and the other with a positive charge. Metals tend to form ionic bonds.
Ionic bonds are common with metals as well as acids and bases
What is a covalent bond?
A covalent bond involves the equal sharing of electrons. This is the strongest type of bond.
- A single bond is created when 1 pair of electrons is shared
- A double bond is created when 2 pairs of electrons are shared
- A triple bond is created when 3 pairs of electrons are shared
what is polar covalent bond?
polar covalent bonds are an “in-between” type of bond
Atoms share electrons, but the electrons tend to remain closer to one atom than the other. This creates a polar molecule, where one area of the molecule is relatively positive, and the other is relatively negative
What are Van der Waals forces?
Van der Waals’ forces describe a very weak intermolecular force that holds molecules of the same type together.
Electrons (an their negative charges) orbiting a molecule are in constant motion. This creates temporary partial (+) and (-) charges at different parts of the molecule at any given time. The net result is that electron-rich areas of one molecule will be attracted to electron-poor areas of another molecule.
This is the weakest type of molecular attraction
Define Dalton’s law. List several examples of how it can be used in the operating room.
Dalton’s law of partial pressures says that the total pressure is equal to the sum of the partial pressures exerted by each gas in the mixture.
P total= P1+P2+P3
Ways to apply Dalton’s law of partial pressures:
* Calculate the partial pressure of an unmeasured gas
* Calculate the total pressure
* Convert partial pressure to volumes percent
* Convert volumes percent to a partial pressure
At sea level, the agent monitor measures the end-tidal sevoflurane as 3%. What is the partial pressure of sevoflurane in the exhaled tidal volume?
This is an application question about Dalton’s law of partial pressures.
Partial pressure= volumes percent x total pressure
- Partial pressure = 0.03 x 760 mmHg
- Answer= 22.8 mmHg
Define Henry’s law. List several examples of how it can be used in the operating room.
At a constant temperature, the amount of gas that dissolves in a solution is directly proportional to the partial pressure of that gas over the solution. Said another way, the higher the gas pressure, the more of it will dissolve into a liquid (assuming a constant temperature).
* Increase temp= decreased solubility
* Decreased temp= increase solubility
How can we apply Henry’s law:
* Anesthetic emergence is prolonged in the hypothermic patient
* Dissolved oxygen in the oxygen-carrying capacity equation (CaO2)
Describe Fick’s law of diffusion.
Fick’s law of diffusion describes the transfer rate of gas through a tissue medium
Rate of transfer is directly proportional to:
* Partial pressure difference (driving force)
* Diffusion coefficient (solubility)
* Membrane surface area
Rate of Transfer is inversely Proportional to:
* Membrane thickness
* Molecular weight
list clinical examples of Fick’s law of diffusion
- Diffusion hypoxia
- A patient with COPD has a reduced alveolar surface area and therefore has a slower rate of inhalation induction
- Calculation of cardiac output
- drug transfer across the placenta
Compare and contrast Boyle’s, Charle’s, and gay-lussac’s law.
Boyle’s law has inverse relationship
* as one variable gets larger, the other gets smaller
* As one variable gets smaller, the other gets larger
P1 x V1= P2 x V2
Charle’s law and Gay-lussac’s law have direct relationships:
* As one variable gets larger, the other gets larger.
* As one variable gets smaller, the other gets smaller
Charles: V1/T1= V2/T2
Gay-lussac’s: P1/T1=P2/T2
List several examples of how Boyle’s law can be applied in the operating room.
Boyle’s law (P x V):
* Diaphragm contraction increases tidal volume
* Pneumatic bellows
* Squeezing an Ambu bag
* Using the bourdon pressure gauge to calculate how much O2 is left in a cylinder (assumes a given flow rate)
List an example of how Charle’s law can be applied in the operating room.
Charle’s law (V/T):
* LMA cuff ruptures when placed in an ambulance
List an example of how Gay-Lussac’s law can be applied in the OR.
Gay-Lussac’s law (P/T)
* Oxygen tank explodes in a heated environment
what is the function of the ideal gas law?
the ideal gas law unifies all 3 gas laws into a single equation, where: PV=nrT
* P= pressure
* V= volume
* n= number of moles
* r= constant 0.821 liter-atm/K/mole
* T= temperature
Define Ohm’s law
Ohm’s law says that the current passing through a conductor is directly proportional to the voltage and inversely proportional to the resistance. We can adapt Ohm’s law to understand fluid flow.
Current= voltage difference/ resistance
or
Flow= Pressure gradient/ resistance
How is Poiseuille’s law related to Ohm’s law?
Poiseuille’s law is a modification of Ohm’s law that incorporates vessel diameter, viscosity, and tube length
- Q blood flow
- R Radius
- change in P Arteriovenous pressure gradient (Pa-Pv)
- n Viscosity
- L Length of the tube
How do changes in radius affect laminar flow (x2, x3, x4, and x5)
Altering the radius of the tube exhibits the greatest impact on flow.
* R= 1^4: 1x1x1x1= 4
* R= 2^4: 2x2x2x2= 16
* R= 3^4: 3x3x3x3= 81
* R= 4^4: 4x4x4x4= 256
How can we apply Poiseuille’s law to the administration of a unit packed red blood cells?
We can deliver red blood cells faster if we:
* Increase the radius with a large-bore IV
* INcrease the pressure gradient with a pressure bag and/or increase the height of the IV pole.
* Decrease the viscosity by diluting the blood with 0.9 NaCl and/or running it through a fluid warmer
* Decrease the length by not using longer tubing than you really need
what does Reynold’s number tell you?
There are 3 types of flow: Laminar, turbulent, and transitional.
Reynold’s number allows us to predict the type of flow that will occur in a given situation
* RE < 2000: laminar flow is dependent on gas viscosity (Poiseuille’s law)
* Re> 4000: turbulent flow is dependent on gas density (Graham’s law)
* Re 2,000 - 4,000: transitional flow
Reynold’s number= (Density x Diameter x Velocity)/ Viscosity
grahams: rate of effusion of gas is inversely proportional to the square root of the molar mass of its particles
Explain how understanding Reynold’s number helps you treat status asthmaticus
The pt with status asthmaticus suffers from an increased airway resistance, and this increases flow turbulence and the work of breathing.
* because turbulent flow is primarily dependent on gas density, we can improve flow by having the patient inhale a lower density gas
* An oxygen/helium mixture (Heliox) improves Reynold’s number by reducing density
* The key here is that we are converting turbulent flow to laminar flow. Helium does NOT improve flow if its is already laminar
Explain Bernoulli’s principal, and discuss it in the context of a river.
Bernoulli’s principle describes the relationship between the pressure and velocity
* If the fluid’s velocity is high, then the pressure exerted on the walls of the tube will be low.
* If the fluid’s velocity is low, then the pressure exerted on the walls of the tube will be high
Example: Think of a river. When the river is wide, the water moves slowly, but when it becomes narrow, the water moves much faster. This is because the same volume of water is moving through the wide and now parts of the river at any given time. When the water is moving slowly, the pressure exerted on the riverbank is higher, and when the river narrows, the velocity of the water increases, so it exerts less pressure on the riverbank
Explain the Venturi effect, and give some examples.
The venturi effect is an application of the Bernoulli principle. As airflow in a tube moves past the point of constriction, the pressure at the constriction decreases (Bernoulli principle), and if the pressure inside the tube falls below atmospheric pressure, then air is entrained into the tube (venturi effect)
Adjusting the diameter of the constriction allows for control of the pressure drop and the amount of air that is sucked into the tube. The key here is air entrainment!
Examples: Jet ventilator, Venturi, and nebulizer