RAA case studies
RAA · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Registered Anesthesia Assistant (RAA) credential is designed for allied health professionals who support anesthesia care teams - typically under the direction of an anesthesiologist or certified registered nurse anesthetist - in settings such as operating rooms, procedural suites, and postanesthesia recovery areas. The RAA certification examination samples the knowledge and applied judgment expected of an assistant working across the full perioperative arc: basic and applied sciences, preanesthetic assessment and preparation, equipment, monitoring and safety, airway management and ventilation, anesthetic agents and techniques, intraoperative hemodynamic support, crisis management, and postanesthesia care with pain management. The RAA case studies are 5 cases and about 3,368 words.
1Awake Airway in a Substernal Goiter with Fixed Tracheal Compression
A 61-year-old woman (92 kg, BMI 34) is scheduled for total thyroidectomy for a multinodular goiter. She reports increasing hoarseness and stridor when climbing stairs; at rest she is comfortable, with SpO2 96% on room air.
717 words, about 4 min2Abrupt EtCO2 Collapse During Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy
A 46-year-old man, ASA 2, undergoes hand-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy under general anesthesia with 15 mmHg CO2 insufflation in a 30° flank position. Anesthesia is stable: BP 112/68 mmHg, HR 78, EtCO2 34 mmHg, SpO2 99%, peak airway pressure 24 cmH2O, end-tidal sevoflurane 2.1%.
683 words, about 3 min3Anaphylaxis Five Minutes After Cefazolin at Induction
A 34-year-old woman, 68 kg, with asthma and no known drug allergies, is induced for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy: fentanyl 150 mcg, propofol 150 mg, rocuronium 50 mg, and cefazolin 2 g over 3 minutes. Five minutes after induction, before incision, BP falls from 118/70 to 61/36 mmHg, HR rises from 74 to 138, EtCO2 falls from 36 to 19 mmHg, and peak airway pressure rises from 17 to 36 cmH2O.
680 words, about 3 min4Postoperative Hypoventilation After Intrathecal Morphine and PCA in OSA
A 58-year-old man (BMI 38, STOP-BANG 6, treated OSA on CPAP) has an elective total knee arthroplasty under spinal anesthesia with 12.5 mg bupivacaine and 300 mcg intrathecal morphine, plus a hydromorphone PCA started in PACU. Forty minutes after arrival he is drowsy but rousable (POSS 3), with a respiratory rate of 6/min, SpO2 88% on 4 L nasal prongs, and nasal-capnography EtCO2 of 59 mmHg.
619 words, about 3 min5Severe Aortic Stenosis and a Hip Fracture on Recent Ticagrelor
An 82-year-old woman (62 kg) falls and sustains a displaced femoral neck fracture. History: severe aortic stenosis (aortic valve area 0.7 cm², mean gradient 48 mmHg, LVEF 55%), hypertension, and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.
669 words, about 3 min