When the nurse checks the patient for orthodontic hypotension, what did the nurse have the patient do?

The left ventricle is responsible for pumping oxygenated blood out of the heart and into systemic circulation, which requires generating enough pressure to overcome the resistance of the systemic blood vessels. Therefore, the left ventricle has thicker and more muscular walls than the right ventricle and can generate higher pressures during contraction. In contrast, the right ventricle pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs, which have lower resistance compared to the systemic circulation, and therefore do not need to generate as high pressures.

Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) are a class of medications that block the influx of calcium ions into cardiac and smooth muscle cells, leading to relaxation of these muscles and dilation of blood vessels.

In the heart, CCBs primarily affect the L-type calcium channels in the cardiac myocytes, which are responsible for the influx of calcium ions during the plateau phase of the cardiac action potential. By blocking these channels, CCBs decrease the amount of calcium that enters the cardiac myocytes, which in turn reduces the strength of cardiac contractions (i.e. contractility).

This reduction in contractility can be beneficial in certain conditions where the heart is working too hard or experiencing insufficient blood flow, such as in hypertension, angina, or some forms of arrhythmia. By reducing the workload of the heart, CCBs can help to lower blood pressure, decrease oxygen demand, and improve blood flow to the heart.

While CCBs can also have effects on the rate and rhythm of cardiac contractions, these effects are generally less pronounced than the reduction in contractility. Some CCBs, such as verapamil and diltiazem, can slow the heart rate by blocking the L-type calcium channels in the sinoatrial (SA) and atrioventricular (AV) nodes, while others, such as nifedipine, have little effect on heart rate.