Step 1 Question of the Week – Cardiac Pharmacology

cardiac pharmacology
This week’s USMLE Step 1 question comes from the area of cardiac pharmacology.  See if you can answer the question and then watch the video to learn the correct answer as well as the rationales for all of the options.  The video comes from a recent edition of the Rx Question Lab, so if you like it, we encourage you to register and tune in every Tuesday.
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Cardiac Pharmacology

An experimental assessment of the effects of vasoactive drugs is conducted on a cohort of healthy young men between the ages of 23 and 32. The results for drugs X and Y are as follows:

  • After the administration of a high dose of drug X, the mean arterial pressure increases
  • After the effect of drug X has worn off completely, drug Y is added, resulting in a slight decrease in mean arterial pressure.
  • When drug X is then re-administered, the blood pressure drops even more.

Which of the following drug combinations most likely represents drugs X and drug Y?

A. Epinephrine, phenoxybenzamine

B. Isoproterenol, clonidine

C. Norepinephrine, propranolol

D. Phenylephrine, metoprolol

E. Phenylephrine, phenoxybenzamine

We invite you to leave a comment with your answer as well as your rationale.  When you’re ready to check your work, watch the video!
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