Question

Kathryn R. is a well-rounded 57 year old Caucasian woman. She is 5 ft 5 in tall and weights 190 lbs. She reports a history of mitral valve prolapse with regurgitation. She is allergic to penicillin and tetanus toxoid. Her medications include Inderal, Lasix, lisinopril, nifedipine, potassium, and an aspirin a day. Her blood pressure in 150/96 mm Hg, and her pulse rate is 100 bpm. She comes to your clinic wanting her teeth "cleaned" because she reports that she is afraid of dentists and has not seen one in 10 years. Because of her fear, your instructor suggests that periodontal debridement be performed under local anesthesia. On seating Kathryn in your chair, you notice that her ankles are quite swollen. Her gingival tissue is enlarged and bleeds readily on probing. She has moderate horizontal bone loss and generalized pocketing of 6-8mm. Her oral hygiene is fair, but she says she cannot get the floss "all the way back."

Which medication is most likely to relieve the swelling in Kathryn's ankles?
A. Propranolol/Inderal
B. Furosemide/Lasix
C. Nifedipine/Procardia
D. Potassium supplement
E. Aspirin

Answer 1

Furosemide/Lasix option (B) is the medication most likely to relieve the swelling in Kathryn's ankles, as it is a diuretic that helps to remove excess fluid from the body.

Step-by-step explanation:

The medication most likely to relieve the swelling in Kathryn's ankles, which is indicative of edema, is Furosemide/Lasix option (B). Lasix is a diuretic, which means it helps to remove excess fluid from the body by increasing urine production. This action can reduce swelling caused by fluid accumulation, such as in the case of edema associated with heart conditions like Kathryn's mitral valve prolapse with regurgitation. On the other hand, medications such as Propranolol/Inderal, Nifedipine/Procardia, Potassium supplement, and Aspirin do not have diuretic effects and are used for other therapeutic purposes.