A 60-year-old man had a heart attack 2 days ago, and his blood pressure has continued to decrease. He is now in cardiogenic shock. Which of the following therapies is most beneficial?
A)Place tourniquets on all four limbs
B)Give a sympathetic inhibitor
C)Give furosemide
D)Give a blood volume expander
E)Increase dietary sodium

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Giving a blood volume expander such as saline or albumin would help increase the circulating blood volume and subsequently increase blood pressure in the patient. This can help improve cardiac output and perfusion to vital organs. A sympathetic inhibitor (choice B) may also decrease blood pressure further and is not recommended in this scenario. Place tourniquets on all four limbs (choice A) is not appropriate as it may restrict blood flow to the limbs and worsen the patient's condition. Furosemide (choice C) is a diuretic and may worsen the hypotension in this patient. Increasing dietary sodium (choice E) may be helpful in preventing future episodes of hypotension, however, in this acute scenario immediate intervention is needed.

A 60-Year-Old Man Had a Heart Attack 2 Days Ago