Autonomic/CV Drugs — MCQs

A 22-year-old man is brought to the emergency department by his roommate 20 minutes after being discovered unconscious at home. On arrival, he is unresponsive to painful stimuli. His pulse is 65/min, respirations are 8/min, and blood pressure is 110/70 mm Hg. Pulse oximetry shows an oxygen saturation of 75%. Despite appropriate lifesaving measures, he dies. The physician suspects that he overdosed. If the suspicion is correct, statistically, the most likely cause of death is overdose with which of the following groups of drugs?

A 35-year-old male patient is brought into the emergency department by emergency medical services. The patient has a history of schizophrenia and is on medication per his mother. His mother also states that the dose of his medication was recently increased, though she is not sure of the specific medication he takes. His vitals are HR 110, BP 170/100, T 102.5, RR 22. On exam, he cannot respond to questions and has rigidity. His head is turned to the right and remains in that position during the exam. Labs are significant for a WBC count of 14,000 cells/mcL, with a creatine kinase (CK) level of 3,000 mcg/L. What is the best treatment for this patient?

A 38-year-old man presents with a 1-year history of resting tremor and clumsiness in his right hand. He says his symptoms are progressively worsening and are starting to interfere with his work. He has no significant past medical history and is not currently taking any medications. The patient denies any smoking history, alcohol, or recreational drug use. Family history is significant for his grandfather, who had a tremor, and his father, who passed away at a young age. Neither his brother nor his sister have tremors. Vital signs include: pulse 70/min, respiratory rate 15/min, blood pressure 124/70 mm Hg, and temperature 36.7°C (98.1°F). Physical examination reveals decreased facial expression, hypophonia, resting tremor in the right hand, rigidity in the upper limbs, and normal deep tendon reflexes. No abnormalities of posture are seen and gait is normal except for decreased arm swing on the right. The remainder of the exam is unremarkable. Which of the following medications would be most effective in treating this patient's movement problems?

A 42-year-old man is discovered unconscious by local police while patrolling in a park. He is unresponsive to stimulation. Syringes were found scattered around him. His heart rate is 70/min and respiratory rate is 6/min. Physical examination reveals a disheveled man with track marks on both arms. His glasgow coma scale is 8. Pupillary examination reveals miosis. An ambulance is called and a reversing agent is administered. Which of the following is most accurate regarding the reversal agent most likely administered to this patient?

A 40-year-old man with alcohol use disorder is brought to the emergency department because of sudden-onset blurry vision, severe upper abdominal pain, and vomiting that started one day after he drank a bottle of paint thinner. Physical examination shows epigastric tenderness without rebound or guarding. Ophthalmologic examination shows a visual acuity of 20/200 bilaterally despite corrective lenses. Arterial blood gas analysis on room air shows: pH 7.21 Sodium 135 mEq/L Chloride 103 mEq/L Bicarbonate 13 mEq/L An antidote with which of the following mechanisms of action is the most appropriate therapy for this patient's condition?

A 36-year-old man is brought to the emergency department by a neighbor with signs of altered mental status. He was found 6 hours ago stumbling through his neighbor's bushes and yelling obscenities. The neighbor helped him home, but found him again 1 hour later slumped over on his driveway in a puddle of vomit. He is oriented to self, but not to place or time. His vitals are as follows: temperature, 36.9°C (98.5°F); pulse, 82/min; respirations, 28/min; and blood pressure, 122/80 mm Hg. Cardiopulmonary examination indicates no abnormalities. He is unable to cooperate for a neurological examination. Physical examination reveals muscle spasms involving his arms and jaw. Laboratory studies show: Na+ 140 mEq/L K+ 5.5 mEq/L CI- 101 mEq/L HCO3- 9 mEq/L Urea nitrogen 28 mg/dL Creatinine 2.3 mg/dL Glucose 75 mg/dL Calcium 7.2 mg/dL Osmolality 320 mOsm/kg The calculated serum osmolality is 294 mOsm/kg. The arterial blood gas shows a pH of 7.25 and a lactate level of 3.2 mmol/L. Urine examination shows oxalate crystals and the absence of ketones. What is the most appropriate treatment indicated for this patient experiencing apparent substance toxicity?

A 48-year-old woman presents to her family practitioner complaining of tremulousness of both hands for the past few years that have deteriorated over the past 7 months. She sometimes spills coffee while holding a full cup. She is a receptionist and her symptoms have led to difficulties with typing at work. She denies weight loss, diarrhea, fatigue, blurring of vision, walking difficulties, and heat intolerance. The past medical history is significant for well-controlled bronchial asthma. She does not smoke or use illicit drugs, but she drinks one cup of coffee daily. She drinks alcohol only socially and has noticed a decrease in her tremors afterward. She reports that her father had a head tremor, and her mother had hyperthyroidism. The patient is oriented to person, place, time and situation. On physical examination, the eye movements are normal and there is no nystagmus. She has a prominent rhythmic tremor of both hands that increase when hands are stretched with abducted fingers. The muscle strength, tone, and deep tendon reflexes are normal in all 4 limbs. The sensory examination and gait are normal. The laboratory test results are as follows: Hemoglobin 14.8 g/dL Leukocytes 5,500/mm3 Platelets 385,000/mm3 BUN 18 mg/dL Creatinine 0.9 mg/dL Na+ 143 mmol/L K+ 4.2 mmol/L Which of the following is the most appropriate management for this patient?

A 65-year-old male with a history of hypertension presents to his primary care physician complaining of multiple episodes of chest pain, palpitations, and syncope. Episodes have occurred twice daily for the last week, and he is asymptomatic between episodes. Electrocardiogram reveals a narrow-complex supraventricular tachycardia. He is treated with diltiazem. In addition to its effects on cardiac myocytes, on which of the following channels and tissues would diltiazem also block depolarization?

A 29-year-old woman presents with low mood and tearfulness on most days for the past 4 weeks. She says that she has been struggling to cope with her life and feels that everything that is going wrong is her fault. She also says that there are nights when she cries herself to sleep as the burden of the whole day is too overwhelming for her. In the last 3 weeks, she cannot recall a day when she felt interested in going out and participating in her daily activities. She also says she doesn’t seem to have much energy and feels fatigued all day. She has lost her appetite and feels that she is losing weight. Over the past month, she also reports experiencing frequent and often unbearable migraine headaches. No significant past medical history. The patient has prescribed a drug for her symptoms which is known to be cardiotoxic and may result in ECG changes. Which of the following is the mechanism of action of the drug most likely prescribed to this patient?

A 59-year-old man presents to a clinic with exertional chest pain for the past several months. He says the pain is central in his chest and relieved with rest. The physical examination is unremarkable. An electrocardiogram is normal, but an exercise tolerance test revealed ST-segment depression in chest leads V1-V4. He is prescribed nitroglycerin to be taken in the first half of the day. Which of the following statements best describes the reason behind the timing of this medication?