Heart and Circulation Medications

Aspirin is an antiplatelet medication. Platelets are small blood cells that clump together to form clots. Antiplatelet means it reduces their ability to stick.

Most heart attacks begin when a cholesterol plaque ruptures inside a coronary artery. Coronary arteries supply oxygen to the heart muscle. A clot can form at the rupture site and block blood flow.

Aspirin slows clot formation and helps limit heart muscle damage.

Nitroglycerin is a vasodilator, meaning it relaxes and widens blood vessels.

It primarily dilates veins, reducing preload, the amount of blood returning to the heart. Lower preload decreases wall stress, the tension on heart muscle fibers, and reduces myocardial oxygen demand, the oxygen the heart muscle requires.

By lowering the heart’s workload, nitroglycerin can relieve ischemic chest pain.

Heparin is an anticoagulant, often called a blood thinner. Anticoagulants interfere with the clotting cascade, a chain reaction of blood proteins that forms clots.

It does not dissolve clots. It prevents clots from enlarging and reduces new clot formation.

Heparin is used when clot progression poses ongoing risk.

Metoprolol is a beta blocker. Beta receptors on heart cells respond to adrenaline and increase heart rate and contractility, which is the force of each heartbeat.

Blocking these receptors slows the heart and reduces contractility, lowering myocardial oxygen demand.

It stabilizes the heart in conditions such as hypertension, chest pain, and arrhythmias, which are abnormal heart rhythms.

Furosemide is a loop diuretic. It acts on the kidney to block sodium reabsorption. Sodium attracts water, so blocking sodium retention increases urine output.

In heart failure, fluid accumulates in the lungs, a condition called pulmonary edema, which impairs oxygen exchange.

Furosemide reduces fluid overload and improves breathing.