When treating a patient with a heart condition (i.e. heart failure, heart attack) we have to remember not to give the patient nitroglycerin if they are taking any phosphodiesterase inhibitors (commonly used for erectile dysfunction).
Phosphodiesterase inhibitors are peripheral vasodilators and can actually be used to treat hypertension, too.
Nitroglycerin is a nitrate, given to treat patients with angina and is classified as a coronary vasodilator, meaning that it will increase the size of blood vessels leading directly to the heart. When you mix both nitroglycerin (nitrate) and phosphodiesterase inhibitors together, your patient is at risk of dropping their blood pressure to an extremely low level, possibly leading to a heart attack or stroke since not enough blood (aka oxygen) would effectively travel to the heart or to the brain.
This is a very useful bit of information to know -- especially useful for anyone interested in ICU, ED, or telemetry since there are many patients with heart conditions who may be taking a medication for erectile dysfunction.
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