A 45-year-old man visits the emergency room after experiencing orthopnea, dyspnea, and ankle edema for two days. He also experienced a headache, nausea, and vomiting this morning. Physical examination reveals pulmonary crackles and bilateral pitting edema up to the knees together with an increased blood pressure. An infusion of sodium nitroprusside is started. Which of the following left ventricular pressure/volume relationships best exemplifies the therapeutic effects? *Solid line = before nitroprusside; dashed line = during nitroprusside infusion.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: By generating balanced vasodilation of the veins and arteries, short-acting sodium nitroprusside lowers the left ventricle's (LV) preload and afterload. The balanced vasodilation allows for the maintenance of stroke volume and cardiac output at a reduced LV pressure (lower cardiac work).

A 45-Year-Old Man Visits the Emergency Room After Experiencing Orthopnea