FRCA Primary Syllabus Pharmacological and Pharmacokinetic Principles Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion Compartment Models, Context-Sensitive Half-Time and Target-Controlled Infusion Dose-Response, Efficacy, Potency and Therapeutic Index Receptor Types, Agonism, Antagonism and Signal Transduction Isomerism, Chirality and Structure-Activity Relationships Drug Interactions, Enzyme Induction and Inhibition Pharmacogenetics, Age, Pregnancy and Organ Failure as Sources of Variability Adverse Drug Reactions, Anaphylaxis and Tolerance Anaesthetic Agents Intravenous Induction Agents Inhalational Agents, MAC and the Determinants of Uptake Nitrous Oxide, Xenon and the Second Gas Effect Total Intravenous Anaesthesia and Infusion Pharmacokinetics Mechanisms and Theories of Anaesthetic Action Analgesic and Local Anaesthetic Drugs Opioid Agonists, Partial Agonists and Antagonists NSAIDs, Paracetamol and Their Mechanisms Local Anaesthetic Pharmacology, pKa and Differential Block Local Anaesthetic Systemic Toxicity, Maximum Doses and Lipid Rescue Analgesic Adjuvants: Ketamine, Alpha-2 Agonists, Gabapentinoids Neuromuscular Blocking and Reversal Agents Suxamethonium, Phase II Block and Plasma Cholinesterase Non-Depolarising Agents: Onset, Duration and Elimination Anticholinesterases, Sugammadex and Residual Block Antimuscarinic Drugs and Their Autonomic Effects Cardiovascular and Haemostatic Drugs Inotropes, Vasopressors and Their Receptor Selectivity Vasodilators and Antihypertensive Agents Antiarrhythmic Drugs and the Vaughan Williams Classification Anticoagulants, Antiplatelets, Thrombolytics and Their Reversal Antifibrinolytics and Procoagulant Agents Other Drugs in Anaesthetic Practice Antiemetics and the Receptors They Block Benzodiazepines, Flumazenil and Sedative Premedication Bronchodilators, Steroids and Respiratory Agents Insulin, Oral Hypoglycaemics, Corticosteroids and Thyroid Drugs Antimicrobial Agents and Prophylaxis Antidepressants, Antipsychotics, Antiepileptics and Antiparkinsonian Drugs Diuretics and Their Sites of Action Respiratory Physiology Lung Volumes, Capacities and Closing Capacity Compliance, Resistance, Work of Breathing and Surfactant Ventilation-Perfusion Matching, Shunt and Dead Space Oxygen Carriage, the Dissociation Curve and Tissue Delivery Carbon Dioxide Carriage and the Haldane and Bohr Effects Central and Peripheral Control of Ventilation Acid-Base Balance, Buffers and Compensation Altitude, Diving, Oxygen Therapy and Hypoxia The Effects of Anaesthesia and Positioning on Respiratory Function Cardiovascular Physiology The Cardiac Cycle and Pressure-Volume Relationships Preload, Afterload, Contractility and Venous Return Cardiac Action Potentials, Conduction and the Basis of the ECG Blood Pressure Control, Baroreceptors and the Renin-Angiotensin System Microcirculation, Starling Forces and the Glycocalyx Coronary, Cerebral, Pulmonary, Renal, Hepatic and Uteroplacental Circulations The Physiological Response to Haemorrhage and Posture Neurophysiology Resting Membrane Potential, Action Potentials and Conduction The Neuromuscular Junction and Excitation-Contraction Coupling Cerebrospinal Fluid, Cerebral Blood Flow and Intracranial Pressure Nociception, Pain Pathways and Modulation Autonomic Nervous System Organisation and Transmission Spinal Cord Organisation, Reflexes and Tracts Vision, Hearing, Balance and the Physiology of Consciousness and Sleep Renal Physiology, Body Fluids and Electrolytes Renal Blood Flow, Glomerular Filtration and Autoregulation Tubular Reabsorption, Secretion and the Countercurrent Mechanism Body Fluid Compartments, Osmolality and Water Balance Sodium, Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium Homeostasis The Renal Contribution to Acid-Base Regulation Bladder Function and Micturition Hepatic, Gastrointestinal, Endocrine, Metabolic and Haematological Physiology Liver Function, Blood Supply and Bilirubin Metabolism Gastric Function, Motility, Secretion and Swallowing Pituitary, Thyroid, Adrenal and Pancreatic Endocrine Function Energy Metabolism, Starvation, the Stress Response and Nutrition Haemoglobin, Red Cells, Blood Groups and Transfusion Coagulation, Fibrinolysis and Their Regulation Immune Function, Inflammation and Hypersensitivity Skeletal, Cardiac and Smooth Muscle Physiology Temperature Regulation and the Physiology of Hypothermia Maternal, Fetal, Neonatal and Paediatric Physiology Maternal Physiological Changes in Pregnancy Placental Structure, Transfer and Uteroplacental Blood Flow Fetal Circulation and the Changes at Birth Paediatric Respiratory, Cardiovascular and Thermal Differences The Physiology of Ageing Anatomy Applied to Anaesthesia Upper Airway, Larynx and Trachea Thoracic Wall, Pleura, Lungs and Bronchial Tree Heart, Great Vessels and Sites of Central Venous Access Vertebral Column, Meninges and the Neuraxial Space Brachial and Lumbosacral Plexuses and Peripheral Nerve Blocks Cranial Nerves, Base of Skull and the Orbit Abdominal Wall, Inguinal Region and Pelvic Anatomy Sympathetic Chain, Coeliac Plexus and Autonomic Anatomy Physical Principles Gas Laws, Critical Temperature and the Behaviour of Vapours Laminar and Turbulent Flow, Viscosity, Reynolds Number and the Venturi Effect Pressure, Force, Surface Tension and the Law of Laplace Solubility, Partition Coefficients, Diffusion and Osmosis Heat, Latent Heat, Humidity and Their Measurement SI Units, Dimensional Analysis and Exponential Functions Electrical Principles, Impedance, Amplifiers and Signal Processing Ultrasound, Doppler, Lasers and Electromagnetic Radiation Clinical Measurement and Monitoring Accuracy, Precision, Drift, Calibration, Resonance and Damping Invasive and Non-Invasive Blood Pressure Measurement Cardiac Output Measurement and Its Assumptions Pulse Oximetry: Principle, Limitations and Sources of Error Capnography and the Interpretation of the Waveform Anaesthetic Gas and Oxygen Analysis Measurement of Gas Flow, Volume and Lung Function Temperature Measurement and Its Sites Peripheral Nerve Stimulation and Quantitative Monitoring Depth of Anaesthesia Monitoring and Processed EEG ECG Monitoring, Lead Systems and Artefact Blood Gas Electrodes, Co-Oximetry and Point-of-Care Testing Anaesthetic Equipment Cylinders, Pipelines, Manifolds and Their Safety Features The Anaesthetic Machine, Flowmeters and Pressure Regulation Vaporisers: Design, Compensation and Filling Hazards Breathing Systems, Their Classification and Fresh Gas Requirements Carbon Dioxide Absorption and Its Degradation Products Ventilators, Modes and Their Delivered Waveforms Tracheal Tubes, Supraglottic Airways and Laryngoscopes Humidification, Filters and Heat-Moisture Exchangers Infusion Pumps, Syringe Drivers and Their Failure Modes Scavenging Systems and Theatre Pollution Regional Anaesthesia and Vascular Access Equipment Safety, Hazards and Human Factors Electrical Safety, Leakage Current, Diathermy and Equipment Classification Fire, Laser and Airway Fire Risk Pressure, Cylinder and Gas Supply Hazards The MRI Environment and Anaesthesia at Remote Sites Machine Checking, Alarms and Their Limits Decontamination, Sterilisation and Infection Control Human Factors, Error, Checklists and Incident Reporting Statistical Methods and Data Interpretation Types of Data, Distributions and Their Description Measures of Central Tendency, Spread and the Standard Error Null Hypothesis, p Values, Confidence Intervals and Choice of Test Type I and Type II Error, Power and Sample Size Sensitivity, Specificity, Predictive Values and Likelihood Ratios Trial Design, Randomisation, Blinding, Bias and Confounding Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis and Levels of Evidence Graphical Presentation and the Interpretation of Plots Agreement, Repeatability and Bland-Altman Analysis