Cardiology Drug List

Question 1

Apixaban

Answer 1

Anticoagulant

Question 2

Heparin

Answer 2

Anticoagulant

Question 3

Warfarin (Coumadin)

Answer 3

Anticoagulant

Question 4

What do anticoagulants do?

Answer 4

Decreases the clotting ability of the blood. Sometimes called blood thinners, although they do
not actually thin the blood. They do NOT dissolve existing blood clots.

Question 5

Why should you prescribe anticoagulants?

Answer 5

• Helps to prevent harmful clots from forming in the blood vessels.
• May prevent the clots from becoming larger and causing more serious problems.
• Often prescribed to prevent first or recurrent stroke.

Question 6

Aspirin

Answer 6

Antiplatelet agent

Question 7

Clopidogrel

Answer 7

Antiplatelet agent

Question 8

What do antiplatelets do?

Answer 8

Keeps blood clots from forming by preventing aggregation of blood platelets.

Question 9

Why should you prescribe antiplatelets?

Answer 9

-Helps prevent clotting in patients who have had a heart attack, unstable angina,
ischemic strokes, TIA and other forms of cardiovascular disease.
-Usually prescribed preventively when plaque buildup is evident but there is not yet a
large obstruction in the artery.

Question 10

Lisinopril and other “-pril”

Answer 10

Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors

Question 11

What do ACE inhibitors do?

Answer 11

Expands blood vessels and decreases resistance by lowering levels of angiotensin II. Allows
blood to flow more easily and reduces load on the heart, increasing efficiency.

Question 12

Why should you prescribe an ACE inhibitor?

Answer 12

Used to treat or improve symptoms of cardiovascular conditions including high blood
pressure and heart failure.

Question 13

Losartan

Answer 13

Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (or inhibitors) aka ARBs aka Angiotensin-2 Receptor Antagonists

Question 14

Valsartan

Answer 14

Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (or inhibitors) aka ARBs aka Angiotensin-2 Receptor Antagonists

Question 15

What do Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers do?

Answer 15

Rather than lowering levels of angiotensin II (as ACE inhibitors do) angiotensin II receptor
blockers prevent this chemical from having any effects on the heart and blood vessels. This
keeps blood pressure from rising.

Question 16

Why should you prescribe an Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker?

Answer 16

Used to treat or improve symptoms of cardiovascular conditions including high blood
pressure and heart failure.

Question 17

What are Angiotensin Receptor Neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs)?

Answer 17

ARNIs are a new drug combination of a neprilysin inhibitor and an ARB.

Question 18

What do Angiotensin Receptor Neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs) do?

Answer 18

Neprilysin is an enzyme that breaks down natural substances in the body that open narrowed
arteries. By limiting the effect of neprilysin, it increases the effects of these substances and
improves artery opening and blood flow, reduces sodium (salt) retention, and decreases strain
on the heart.
*Tx for heart failure

Question 19

Metoprolol

Answer 19

Beta Blocker

Question 20

What do beta blockers do?

Answer 20

Decreases the heart rate and cardiac output, which lowers blood pressure and makes the heart
beat more slowly and with less force.

Question 21

Why should you prescribe beta blockers?

Answer 21

• Used to lower blood pressure.
• Used with therapy for cardiac arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) and in treating
chest pain (angina).
• Used to prevent future heart attacks in patients who have had a heart attack.

Question 22

carvedilol

Answer 22

combined alpha and beta blocker

Question 23

Why prescribe a combo alpha and beta blocker? What is a known side effect?

Answer 23

Combined alpha and beta-blockers are used as an IV drip for those patients experiencing a
hypertensive crisis. They may be prescribed for outpatient high blood pressure use if the patient
is at risk for heart failure.
A noted possible side effect of combined alpha and beta-blockers:
• May cause orthostatic hypotension

Question 24

amlodipine

Answer 24

calcium channel blocker

Question 25

diltiazem

Answer 25

calcium channel blocker

Question 26

verapamil

Answer 26

calcium channel blocker

Question 27

What do calcium channel blockers do?

Answer 27

Interrupts the movement of calcium into the cells of the heart and blood vessels. May decrease the heart's ejection strength and relax blood vessels.

Question 28

Why prescribe calcium channel blockers?

Answer 28

• Used to treat high blood pressure, angina, and some arrhythmias.

Question 29

Atorvastatin (Lipitor), Rosuvastatin (Crestor)

Answer 29

Statins (cholesterol lowering drugs)

Question 30

What do statins do?

Answer 30

*lower LDL cholesterol. Various medications can lower blood cholesterol levels. The most common cholesterol-lowering drugs are called statins. They work by disrupting production of cholesterol, blocking an enzyme inside the liver cells. This results in less cholesterol being released into the bloodstream. Some statins also reduce the inflammatory process in the vessel wall. When the body has a reduced reaction to the invading cholesterol, fewer macrophages travel into the artery wall to form foam cells and plaque. When plaque stops growing inside an artery, the fibrous outer coating remains strong and is less likely to rupture. This is called a stable plaque. Drugs other than statins should only be used for patients in whom statins are not effective enough or who have serious side effects due to statin therapy. They have a different mechanism of action. Some affect the liver, some work in the intestines and some interrupt the formation of cholesterol from circulating in the blood.

Question 31

Digoxin and digitoxin

Answer 31

digitalis preparations

Question 32

What do digitalis preparations do?

Answer 32

Increases the force of the heart's contractions, which can be beneficial in heart failure and for certain arrhythmias.

Question 33

Why prescribe a digitalis preparation?

Answer 33

Used to relieve heart failure symptoms, especially when the patient isn't responding to ACE inhibitors and diuretics.

Question 34

chlorthalidone

Answer 34

diuretic

Question 35

hydro-chlorothiazide

Answer 35

diuretic

Question 36

spironolactone

Answer 36

diuretic

Question 37

What do diuretics do?

Answer 37

Reduces excess fluids and sodium through urination and reduces cardiac workload. Also decreases the pulmonary fluid retention and peripheral edema. Different diuretics remove fluid at varied rates and through different methods.

Question 38

Why prescribe diuretics?

Answer 38

- Used to help lower blood pressure. | - Used to help reduce edema.

Question 39

isosorbide dinitrate

Answer 39

vasodilator

Question 40

nitrates

Answer 40

vasodilator

Question 41

What do vasodilators do?

Answer 41

Relaxes blood vessels and increases the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart while reducing its workload.

Question 42

Why prescribe a vasodilator?

Answer 42

used to reduce angina

Question 43

Info about antiarrhythmic drugs

Answer 43

Symptomatic tachycardias and premature beats may be treated with a variety of antiarrhythmic drugs. These may be given intravenously in an emergency situation or orally for long-term treatment. These drugs either suppress the abnormal firing of pacemaker tissue or depress the transmission of impulses in tissues that either conduct too rapidly or participate in reentry. In patients with atrial fibrillation, an anticoagulant or antiplatelet agent such as aspirin, is added as indicated to reduce the risk of blood clots and stroke. When tachycardias or premature beats occur often, the effectiveness of antiarrhythmic drug therapy may be gauged by electrocardiographic monitoring in a hospital, by using a 24-hour monitoring or by serial drug evaluation with electrophysiologic testing. The relative simplicity of antiarrhythmic drug therapy must be balanced against two disadvantages. One is that the drugs must be taken daily and indefinitely. The other is the risk of side effects. While side effects are a risk of all medication, those associated with antiarrhythmic drugs can be very hard to manage. They include proarrhythmia, the more-frequent occurrence of preexisting arrhythmias or the appearance of new arrhythmias as bad as or worse than those being treated.

Question 44

amiodarone

Answer 44

antiarrhythmic

Question 45

propranolol

Answer 45

antiarrhythmic