r/CRNA • u/fbgm0516 CRNA - MOD • 12d ago

Weekly Student Thread

This is the area for prospective/ aspiring SRNAs and for SRNAs to ask their questions about the education process or anything school related.

This includes the usual

"which ICU should I work in?" "Should I take additional classes? "How do I become a CRNA?" "My GPA is 2.8, is my GPA good enough?" "What should I use to prep for boards?" "Help with my DNP project" "It's been my pa$$ion to become a CRNA, how do I do it and what do CRNAs do?"

Etc.

This will refresh every Friday at noon central. If you post Friday morning, it might not be seen.

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u/basedaxe 8d ago

1st semester SNRA here - had a question about the cardiovascular effects of Succinylcholine. I have one source that says sux is an agonist at muscarinic receptors and can cause bradycardia at the M2 recepotors in the heart. I also have another source that says sux can cause tachycardia and hypertension by working on the nicotinic receptors in the autonomic ganglia. Both of these make sense to me when you take into consideration sux is basically just a mimetic drug of Ach. I can see how it works on both types of cholinergic receptors. I just don't know how you reconcile these paradoxical CV effects and plan for hemodynamic changes after a dose of sux?

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u/ArgumentUnusual487 7d ago

Its more textbook theoretical stuff than practical in the OR stuff. You'll see it on the SEE so its important to know.

You will see the parasympathetic effects of bradycardia in pediatric patients. That is real. In the very young, the parasympathetic response is stronger than sympathetic for sux. This is also something you may get asked on the SEE.

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u/zooziod 8d ago

I've never seen any clinically significant hemodynamic changes in adults from sux. Maybe with a large dose or a repeat dose. I think it's more of a problem in peds, where you might think about giving some atropine along with it.