Final answer:
C. Nitric oxide is an example of an inhaled pulmonary vasodilator, a medication used in critical care to relax the smooth muscles in the blood vessels of the lungs and improve oxygenation in conditions like pulmonary hypertension.
Step-by-step explanation:
Inhaled Pulmonary Vasodilators
An example of an inhaled pulmonary vasodilator is C. Nitric oxide. Unlike the other options provided, which include albuterol, a bronchodilator, and ipratropium and fluticasone, which are also used to manage respiratory conditions but are not vasodilators, nitric oxide serves a unique function. It is used particularly in critical care situations for infants with hypoxic respiratory failure or adults with pulmonary hypertension. It works by relaxing the smooth muscle in the blood vessels, specifically within the lungs, to improve oxygenation by increasing blood flow without increasing blood pressure throughout the body.
Nitric oxide is naturally produced in the body and is integral to many physiological processes, including vasodilation, which is the widening of blood vessels. This vasodilatory effect is useful therapeutically for conditions like pulmonary hypertension. As a medication, it is carefully administered under medical supervision, often in a hospital setting.
Albuterol is commonly used to treat asthma and other obstructive pulmonary diseases by causing the bronchioles to dilate, but it is not a vasodilator. Ipratropium and fluticasone also contribute to managing asthma; ipratropium by inhibiting the muscarinic receptors and fluticasone as an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid.