Coronary artery spasm.. A male client recently admitted to the hospital with sharp, substernal chest pain suddenly complains of palpitations. Nurse Ryan notes a rise in the client’s arterial blood pressure and a heart rate of 144 beats/minute

A male client recently admitted to the hospital with sharp, substernal chest pain suddenly complains of palpitations.

Nurse Ryan notes a rise in the client’s arterial blood pressure and a heart rate of 144 beats/minute.
On further questioning, the client admits to having used cocaine recently after previously denying use of the drug.
The nurse concludes that the client is at high risk for which complication of cocaine use?

a- Coronary artery spasm

b- Bradyarrhythmias

c- Neurobehavioral deficits

d- Panic disorder

Answer A.
Cocaine use may cause such cardiac complications as coronary artery spasm, myocardial infarction, dilated cardiomyopathy, acute heart failure, endocarditis, and sudden death. Cocaine blocks reuptake of norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine, causing an excess of these neurotransmitters at postsynaptic receptor sites. Consequently, the drug is more likely to cause tachyarrhythmias than bradyarrhythmias. Although neurobehavioral deficits are common in neonates born to cocaine users, they are rare in adults. As craving for the drug increases, a person who’s addicted to cocaine typically experiences euphoria followed by depression, not panic disorder.