You have accidentally given a patient a dose of atropine rather than acetylcholine. What symptoms do you expect to see in the patient?
A) increased gastrointestinal tract activity
B) decreased skeletal muscle tension
C) increase in heart rate
D) constriction of pupils

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Atropine is an anticholinergic drug that blocks the actions of acetylcholine on muscarinic receptors. Therefore, giving atropine instead of acetylcholine would result in a decrease in parasympathetic activity and an increase in sympathetic activity. This would lead to an increase in heart rate (choice C), rather than the other options which are associated with increased parasympathetic activity. Constriction of pupils (choice D) would also be blocked by atropine, resulting in dilation of the pupils.

You Have Accidentally Given a Patient a Dose of Atropine