These drugs may be repeated, as prescribed, until the person is pain-free. Opioid analgesics have the additional advantage of relieving the stress and anxiety that accompanies the illness. Careful monitoring of the person's response is important as these preparations can produce hypotension and respiratory depression. Antiemetics are administered to treat the nausea that can accompany acute chest pain and also to counteract the side effects of opioid administration. This leads to a rise in pulmonary venous and capillary pressure and an increase in blood and water volume within the lungs, i.e. pulmonary oedema.
Hypotension can also occur whenever infarction provokes parasympathetic overactivity.
Nursing care involves assessing and recording the degree of dyspnoea that the person has, and administering prescribed drugs. Frusemide, a loop diuretic administered intravenously is an example of a diuretic commonly administered. The nurse carefully monitors the person's response. Bed rest is encouraged for at least the first 24-36hrs. and until the clinical recordings indicate that the option of sitting out in an arm chair is reasonable. Nitrates contribute towards a reduction in chest pain, and if acute left ventricular failure is present may also lessen the degree of dyspnoea present.