Beth Wood tells her nursing students that it is important to monitor patients' blood pressure when they are receiving verapamil (a calcium channel blocker). Why?

Question

anonymous · Answer

Well there are several reasons for this, since calcium channels are extremely important on a cellular level for control of many pathways.  However, one thing that comes to mind is that cardiac muscle is almost entirely dependent on extra cellular calcium to initiate the heartbeat (which begins in the SA node).  This suggests to me that the drug could lead to a slower heartbeat, and therefore lower average blood pressure as the diastolic phase is lengthened.  Also, the smooth muscle that surrounds most larger blood vessels and is the body's primary way for controlling BP (through vaso dilation and constriction) also depend on calcium pathways.

I welcome input on this, its a complex question...

anonymous · Answer

Verapamil is a vasodialator. It is often prescribed for hypertension, so you want to watch for hyPOtension, or low BP. This is still the case when verapamil is prescibed for other conditions such as cardiac arythmias.