Autonomic/CV Drugs — MCQs

An 8-year-old boy is brought to the emergency department by his parents 30 minutes after losing consciousness. He was at a water park with his family when he fell to the ground and started to have jerking movements of the arms and legs. On arrival, he continues to have generalized, violent muscle contractions and is unresponsive to verbal and painful stimuli. The emergency department physician administers lorazepam. The expected beneficial effect of this drug is most likely caused by which of the following mechanisms?

A 71-year-old man is brought in by his wife with acute onset aphasia and weakness in his right arm and leg for the past 2 hours. The patient's wife says they were eating breakfast when he suddenly could not speak. His symptoms have not improved over the past 2 hours. The patient denies any similar symptoms in the past. His past medical history is significant for immune thrombocytopenic purpura, managed intermittently with oral prednisone, hypertension, managed with hydrochlorothiazide, and a previous myocardial infarction (MI) 6 months ago. The patient reports a 20-pack-year smoking history and moderate daily alcohol use. His family history is significant for his father who died of an MI at age 58 and his older brother who died of a stroke at age 59. The vital signs include: blood pressure 190/115 mm Hg, pulse 85/min, and respiratory rate 20/min. On physical examination, there is a noticeable weakness of the lower facial muscles on the right. The muscle strength in his upper and lower extremities is 4/5 on the right and 5/5 on the left. There is also a loss of sensation on the right. He has expressive aphasia. The laboratory findings are significant for the following: WBC 7,500/mm³ RBC 4.40 × 10⁶/mm³ Hematocrit 41.5% Hemoglobin 14.0 g/dL Platelet count 95,000/mm³ A noncontrast computed tomography (CT) scan of the head is unremarkable. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and CT angiography (CTA) confirms a left middle cerebral artery (MCA) ischemic stroke. Which of the following aspects of this patient's history is a contraindication to intravenous (IV) tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)?

A steel welder presents to his family physician with a one-week history of intense abdominal cramping with nausea, vomiting, constipation, headaches, myalgias, and arthralgias. He claims that the symptoms started about two months after he began work on replacing the pipes in an early 20th century house. Blood was taken and he was found to have a microcytic, hypochromic anemia with basophilic stippling. Which of the following is the best treatment for his symptoms?

A 14-year-old teenager is brought to the physician by her mother who seems extremely concerned that her daughter is unable to sleep at night and has become increasingly irritated and aggressive. She has been noticing changes in her daughter's behavior recently. She had no idea what was going on until she found pills hidden in her daughter's room a week ago. Her daughter confessed that she tried these drugs once with her friends and started using them since then. Her mother threw away all the pills and prevented her daughter from seeing her friends. This is when she started to notice her daughter tear often and sweat. She is seeking a quick and effective treatment for her daughter. Which drug was the teenager most likely using?

A 56-year-old man comes to the emergency department because of progressive swelling and pain in his left calf for 1 day. He does not have shortness of breath or chest pain. He has hypertension and chronic kidney disease. Current medications include enalapril, aspirin, simvastatin, and vitamin D. His temperature is 100.4°F (38°C), pulse is 84/min, and blood pressure is 135/92 mm Hg. Physical examination shows tenderness and swelling of the left lower extremity. A venous Doppler ultrasonography shows a thrombus in the left popliteal vein. Treatment with unfractionated heparin is begun. Two days later, physical examination shows improvement of symptoms. Laboratory studies at admission and 2 days after admission show: Admission Two days after admission Hemoglobin 11.2 g/dL 11.1 g/dL Leukocyte count 5,500/mm3 6,100/mm3 Platelet count 230,000/mm3 170,000/mm3 Serum Prothrombin time 12 seconds 13 seconds Partial thromboplastin time 30 seconds 55 seconds Estimated glomerular filtration rate 29 mL/min/1.73 m2 28 mL/min/1.73 m2 Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?

A 35-year-old woman presents to the emergency department with severe nausea and diarrhea. One day prior to presentation, she went to a new seafood restaurant known for serving exotic fish. For the past day she experienced nausea, diarrhea, weakness, and a tingling sensation in her extremities. In the emergency department, her temperature is 100.3°F (37.9°C), blood pressure is 95/60 mmHg, pulse is 105/min, and respirations are 20/min. On physical examination, she appears fatigued and has 1+ Achilles and patellar reflexes. Which of the following is the mechanism of action of the compound most likely responsible for this patient's clinical presentation?

A 19-year-old woman with a history of bipolar disorder and an unknown cardiac arrhythmia presents with palpitations and chest pain. She admits to taking lithium and procainamide regularly, but she ran out of medication 2 weeks ago and has not been able to get refills. Her family history is significant for bipolar disorder in her mother and maternal aunt. Her vital signs include blood pressure 130/90 mm Hg, pulse 110/min, respiratory rate 18/min. Physical examination is significant for a widely split first heart sound with a holosystolic murmur loudest over the left sternal border. Visible cyanosis is noted in the lips and nailbeds. An electrocardiogram is performed which shows intermittent supraventricular tachyarrhythmia with a right bundle branch block. Her cardiac enzymes are normal. An echocardiogram is performed, which shows evidence of a dilated right atria with portions of the tricuspid valve displaced towards the apex. Which of the following medications was this patient most likely exposed to prenatally?

A 62-year-old man comes to the physician because of gradual onset of bilateral ankle swelling over the past month. He also noticed reddish blotches of skin around his ankles. Five weeks ago, he came to the physician with difficulty walking and a resting tremor. He was diagnosed with Parkinson disease and started on medication. He has a history of hypertension and his antihypertensive medications were also adjusted. His temperature is 37.3°C (99.1°F), pulse is 64/min, respirations are 13/min, and blood pressure is 124/74 mm Hg. Physical examination shows bilateral 2+ edema in the ankles. There is purple-red discoloration on the lower legs in a reticular pattern. Neurologic examination shows resting tremor in both hands and bilateral cogwheel rigidity in the elbows. Which of the following pharmacotherapies is the most likely cause of this patient's edema?

A 56-year-old woman presents with fatigue and joint pain in her fingers and wrists for the last 6 months. She says the pain is present in both hands, and her wrists are also swollen. Furthermore, she describes morning stiffness in her joints lasting about 2 hours, which improves with use. She has been taking acetaminophen, which provided minimal relief, but the swelling has gotten progressively worse. She also feels increasingly tired. Her past medical history reveals she has been successfully treated for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) related ulcers last year but still takes omeprazole for her mild gastroesophageal reflux. The patient denies any smoking history and stopped drinking when her gastric symptoms started. Which of the following analgesic drugs is the best choice to use in this patient?

A 48-year-old man comes to the emergency department because of a 1-hour history of heavy nasal bleeding. He drinks half a bottle of sherry daily. His pulse is 112/min, and blood pressure is 92/54 mm Hg. Physical examination shows scattered ecchymoses across the extremities and oozing from a venipuncture site. Laboratory studies show a prothrombin time of 28 seconds and a partial thromboplastin time of 36 seconds. Impaired function of which of the following proteins is the most likely cause of this patient's hemorrhage?