CPAN key terms

The specialty practice of caring for patients before, during, and after anesthesia and surgery, spanning preadmission through postanesthesia recovery and discharge.

A structured evaluation before anesthesia that reviews history, medications, allergies, comorbidities, airway features, and prior anesthetic outcomes to plan safe care and identify risks.

A six-level classification (I through VI, plus E for emergency) that describes a patient's overall health before surgery and is used to communicate anesthetic risk.

Evidence-based minimum times patients should avoid solids and clear liquids before anesthesia, intended to reduce aspiration risk while avoiding unnecessary dehydration and hypoglycemia.

The immediate postanesthesia recovery area where patients receive intensive monitoring and nursing care while emerging from anesthesia, typically until they meet Phase I discharge criteria.

A lower-acuity recovery area for patients who have stabilized after anesthesia, focused on preparing the patient for discharge home or transfer to an inpatient unit.

A zero-to-ten scoring tool that grades activity, respiration, circulation, consciousness, and oxygen saturation to objectively determine readiness for transfer out of Phase I recovery.

A defined set of assessments, including vital signs, consciousness, airway patency, pain and nausea control, mobility, bleeding, and voiding, that must be met before a patient leaves ambulatory recovery.

A structured verbal and written exchange of patient information between care teams during transitions, designed to preserve continuity and prevent omissions that could cause harm.

A communication framework using Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation to deliver concise, organized reports about a patient's condition to other clinicians.

An anesthesia provider's care for a patient receiving local or regional anesthesia, including sedation as needed, continuous monitoring, and immediate availability to convert to general anesthesia.

A drug-induced state of unconsciousness with amnesia, immobility, and loss of protective reflexes, requiring airway management and continuous physiologic support and monitoring.

Anesthesia produced by injecting local anesthetic near the spinal cord or nerve roots, into the subarachnoid or epidural space, blocking sensation and motor function below the injection level.

A potentially life-threatening reaction to local anesthetics affecting the nervous and cardiovascular systems, marked by tinnitus, metallic taste, seizures, and dysrhythmias, and treated with lipid emulsion.

A pain management approach combining drugs and techniques with different mechanisms, such as opioids, NSAIDs, acetaminophen, and regional blocks, to improve relief while reducing individual side effects.

A programmable pump that lets a patient self-administer small opioid doses within set limits, giving faster pain relief and often using less total medication.

Reduced breathing rate and depth caused by opioids that can progress to hypoxemia and apnea; a key recovery risk because increasing sedation often precedes detectable oxygen desaturation.

Administration of agents such as neostigmine or sugammadex to restore muscle strength after paralytic drugs, confirmed by train-of-four monitoring and clinical signs before extubation.

Continuous measurement of exhaled carbon dioxide displayed as a waveform, used to confirm and monitor airway placement and to detect hypoventilation or apnea earlier than pulse oximetry.

A noninvasive method using light absorption to estimate arterial oxygen saturation and heart rate; it detects hypoxemia but may lag behind and does not measure ventilation.

A reflex closure of the vocal cords that can cause partial or complete airway obstruction, often triggered by secretions, blood, or stimulation during light anesthesia or emergence.

A disorder in which the upper airway repeatedly collapses during sleep, causing intermittent hypoxemia and arousals; affected patients are at increased risk of postanesthetic airway obstruction and respiratory depression.

A device inserted into the pharynx that seals above the larynx to deliver ventilation without tracheal intubation, often used for short procedures and as a rescue airway.

A clinical situation in which a trained provider has trouble with face-mask ventilation, supraglottic placement, laryngoscopy, intubation, or extubation; it requires advance planning and backup equipment.

The average arterial pressure during a cardiac cycle, estimated as one-third of pulse pressure plus diastolic pressure; it reflects organ perfusion and guides fluid and vasoactive therapy.

Continuous blood pressure measurement through a catheter placed in an artery and connected to a transducer, allowing beat-to-beat readings and easy arterial blood sampling.

Continuous ECG observation to detect abnormal heart rhythms, rate, and conduction, enabling early treatment of disturbances caused by hypoxemia, electrolyte shifts, or anesthetic drugs.

A rare inherited hypermetabolic crisis triggered by volatile anesthetics or succinylcholine, producing rising temperature, rigidity, hypercarbia, and tachycardia; treated by stopping triggers and giving dantrolene.

A common distressing complication after anesthesia involving nausea and vomiting, caused by anesthetic and opioid exposure, hypotension, pain, and patient risk factors, and managed with antiemetics and prophylaxis.

An unintended core temperature below 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 degrees Fahrenheit) during surgery or recovery, which increases bleeding, infection, shivering, and cardiac events and is prevented with active warming.

A state of disorientation, agitation, and restlessness as a patient awakens from anesthesia, often transient; it requires a safe environment, reassurance, and evaluation for pain, hypoxemia, or a full bladder.

Failure to regain consciousness within the expected time after anesthesia, caused by residual drugs, hypothermia, hypoglycemia, hypoxemia, electrolyte disturbance, or neurologic injury.

Inability to void after surgery, often from neuraxial opioids, anesthetics, pelvic surgery, or pain; assessed by bladder scanning and managed with positioning, warmth, or catheterization.

Structured instruction given before discharge about medications, activity limits, wound care, diet, and warning signs, including who to call, delivered in plain language and confirmed with teach-back.

The patient's voluntary agreement to a procedure after receiving and understanding information about its purpose, risks, benefits, and alternatives, documented before surgery.

Acting on the patient's behalf to protect rights, safety, and preferences, including speaking up about errors, ensuring understanding, and involving family as the patient wishes.