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Module 05 · Anaesthesia Blueprints

Equipment and procedures: exam notes and MCQs

Prepare equipment and procedures for postgraduate anaesthesia examinations with structured notes, exam-style questions and referenced explanations from standard textbooks and current guidelines.

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Exam notes in this module

Anaesthesia workstation and breathing systems
Gas supply, safety features, vaporisers, Mapleson systems and the circle.
Anaesthesia and sedation outside the operating theatre
The sedation continuum, remote-site safety, MRI, endoscopy, cardiac catheter lab, interventional radiology and ECT.
History of anaesthesia — pioneers and landmark events
From the Ether Dome to modern specialty: the people, dates and inventions examiners ask about.

Sample questions

Q1. The pin-index positions for a nitrous oxide cylinder are:

  1. 2, 5
  2. 3, 5
  3. 1, 5
  4. 7
Show answer

Answer B: 3, 5

Pin Index Safety System (PISS): two holes in the cylinder valve mate with pins on the yoke. O₂ = 2,5; N₂O = 3,5; air = 1,5; Entonox (50:50 O₂/N₂O) = single pin 7; CO₂ (> 7.5%) = 1,6; cyclopropane = 3,6. Pipelines use the separate Diameter Index Safety System (DISS) / NIST.

Exam style: AIIMS INI-SS

Q2. The Bain circuit is a coaxial modification of which Mapleson system?

  1. Mapleson A
  2. Mapleson C
  3. Mapleson D
  4. Mapleson F
Show answer

Answer C: Mapleson D

The Bain circuit is a coaxial Mapleson D: fresh gas flows through the inner tube to the patient end; exhaled gas travels in the outer tube to the expiratory valve near the bag. Mapleson D is the most efficient for controlled ventilation; Mapleson A (Magill/Lack) is most efficient for spontaneous ventilation.

Exam style: AIIMS INI-SS

Q3. A full nitrous oxide cylinder shows a gauge pressure of about:

  1. 2000 psig
  2. 1500 psig
  3. 745 psig
  4. 50 psig
Show answer

Answer C: 745 psig

N₂O is stored as a liquid in equilibrium with its vapour; the gauge reads the saturated vapour pressure (≈ 745 psig at 20 °C) and stays constant until the liquid is exhausted (≈ 75% used), then falls rapidly. Contents are therefore judged by WEIGHT. Oxygen (a gas above its critical temperature) shows ≈ 2000 psig full, falling linearly with contents (Boyle's law).

Exam style: AIIMS INI-SS

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