Antianginal Drug Therapy

How antianginal drugs work
Angina occurs when the coronary arteries (the heart’s primary source of oxygen) supply insufficient oxygen to the myocardium. This increases the heart’s workload, increasing heart rate, preload (blood volume in the ventricle at the end of diastole), afterload (pressure in the arteries leading from the ventricle), and force of myocardial contractility.
Antianginal drugs (nitrates, beta-adreneric blockers, and calcium channel blockers) relieve angina by decreasing one or more of these four factors. This diagram summarizes how antianginal drugs affect the cardiovascular system.
There are three groups of medications that may meet the treatment goals for angina pectoris.
1. Nitrates
2. β-Adrenergic Blockers
3. Calcium Channel Blockers

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