Final answer:
The goal is to both increase the oxygen supply to the heart and decrease the heart's demand for oxygen, primarily through pharmacological interventions like nitroglycerin and longer-term treatments including lifestyle changes and surgical procedures.
Step-by-step explanation:
The primary pharmacologic goal in treating patients experiencing stable angina is to increase cardiac oxygen supply and reduce cardiac oxygen demand. Stable angina involves chest pain that occurs when the heart muscle does not receive adequate blood flow and oxygen, particularly during exertion. Pain usually subsides with rest or the administration of nitroglycerin. Immediate treatments for myocardial infarction (MI), which can result from unstable angina, include oxygen and nitroglycerin to dilate coronary arteries and improve blood flow. Long-term management may include lifestyle changes and medical interventions such as angioplasty, stent placement, or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) to improve blood flow to the heart muscle. These interventions are designed to alleviate symptoms and slow the progression of atherosclerosis, the underlying cause of reduced blood flow in coronary arteries.