Surgical Pharmacology Key Terms
Master these terms for the BSPH domain. Terms are grouped by topic area.
Anesthetic Agents
Local anesthetic
A medication that blocks nerve conduction in a limited area, such as lidocaine or bupivacaine.
General anesthetic
A medication or combination of agents producing full unconsciousness, amnesia, and immobility.
Regional anesthesia
Anesthesia blocking sensation to a specific body region, including spinal, epidural, and peripheral nerve blocks.
Neuromuscular blocking agent
A medication that produces paralysis to facilitate intubation and optimal surgical relaxation.
Malignant hyperthermia trigger agent
Volatile inhalation anesthetics and succinylcholine, capable of triggering a life-threatening hypermetabolic reaction in susceptible individuals.
Hemostatic Agents
Topical thrombin
An agent that directly converts fibrinogen to fibrin at a bleeding site.
Epinephrine
A vasoconstrictive agent often combined with local anesthetic to reduce bleeding and prolong effect; avoided in end-arterial tissue.
Tranexamic acid (TXA)
An antifibrinolytic medication that reduces blood loss by preventing clot breakdown.
Fibrin sealant
A combination product of fibrinogen and thrombin forming an active clot directly at the application site.
Irrigation and Diagnostic Agents
Normal saline
An isotonic solution commonly used for general wound and cavity irrigation.
Nonelectrolyte irrigant
A solution (glycine, sorbitol) used during monopolar resectoscope procedures because it does not conduct electrical current.
Contrast media
An agent (often iodinated) used to enhance visualization during diagnostic imaging, such as intraoperative cholangiography.
Methylene blue
A dye used to identify anatomical structures such as ureters or to confirm anastomotic integrity.
Antibiotics and Infection Prevention
Prophylactic antibiotic
An antibiotic administered before incision to prevent surgical site infection, timed to achieve adequate tissue levels at the moment of incision.
Antibiotic irrigation
Diluted antibiotic solution applied directly to a wound to reduce local bacterial load.
Medication Safety
Medication labeling
The requirement that every medication and solution on the sterile field be immediately labeled with name and strength.
Verbal confirmation (read-back)
The practice of verbally confirming a medication's identity between the scrub person and circulator before use.
Look-alike medication error
A medication error caused by visually similar containers or labels, a leading cause of OR medication mistakes.
Local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST)
A rare but serious complication from excessive local anesthetic dosing or inadvertent intravascular injection.
Drug Calculation Basics
Dilution ratio
The proportion of a concentrated solution to a diluent, used to prepare a solution of a specific final concentration.
Metric conversion
Converting between units (milligrams, grams, milliliters) accurately when preparing or verifying a medication dose.
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