NASC CRNFA case studies
NASC CRNFA · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The CRNFA (Certified Registered Nurse First Assistant) credential is a professional certification for registered nurses who function as first assistants in the operating room - providing retraction, tissue handling, hemostasis, suturing, and wound closure under the direction of the surgeon. It signals that a nurse has moved beyond circulating or scrub experience into a defined perioperative advanced role, and it is typically pursued by RNs who have completed a formal RNFA program and hold an active, unencumbered license. The NASC CRNFA case studies are 5 cases and about 2,820 words.
1Elective Hernia Repair in a Patient With a Recent Coronary Stent and an Infected Incision Site
R is a 68-year-old woman with a BMI of 33, type 2 diabetes (A1c 9.4%), hypertension, and a drug-eluting coronary stent placed 5 months ago after NSTEMI. She is scheduled in 10 days for elective laparoscopic ventral hernia repair with mesh.
629 words, about 3 min2Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity During a Wide-Awake Hand Procedure
T is an 82-kg, 54-year-old man undergoing wide-awake open carpal tunnel release. The surgeon asks you to prepare a field block using 40 mL of 1% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine plus 20 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine, and he plans to infiltrate the entire volume.
581 words, about 3 min3A Loaner Implant Tray That Was Flash Sterilized Without a Final Biological Indicator
A 58-year-old woman is scheduled at 08:00 for primary total knee arthroplasty. The implant tray is a loaner that arrived at 06:45.
558 words, about 3 min4Steep Trendelenburg Positioning for Robotic Prostatectomy in a Morbidly Obese Patient
L is a 61-year-old man with a BMI of 41 and ASA physical status 3, scheduled for robot-assisted radical prostatectomy. He has obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, type 2 diabetes with peripheral neuropathy, and a prior right total shoulder replacement.
536 words, about 3 min5Expanding Neck Hematoma After Total Thyroidectomy
H is a 45-year-old woman in the PACU 45 minutes after total thyroidectomy for Graves disease. She tells the nurse her neck feels tight.
516 words, about 3 min