ARRT Patient Care Practice Exam

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What is the primary use of nitroglycerin?

Relieve pain from angina pectoris
Prevent a heart attack
Act as a vasoconstrictor
Increase blood pressure

The correct answer is: Relieve pain from angina pectoris

The primary use of nitroglycerin is to relieve pain from angina pectoris. Angina pectoris is characterized by chest pain caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle, often due to coronary artery disease. Nitroglycerin works by dilating blood vessels, which enhances blood flow to the heart and can quickly alleviate the angina pain. While nitroglycerin can improve heart perfusion and, in some cases, be part of a broader cardiac treatment strategy, its main and immediate therapeutic role is in the relief of angina. The other options pertain to actions or effects that are not the primary purpose of nitroglycerin: it does not prevent heart attacks, does not act as a vasoconstrictor (instead, it is a vasodilator), and is not used to increase blood pressure since it can actually lower blood pressure due to its vasodilating properties.