Author: Michael A. Evans, MD – Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine


A 16-year-old male with a history of orthotopic heart transplantation presents to the cardiac catheterization lab for annual surveillance catherization. While the skin is prepped with chlorhexidine and several minutes after the patient is under monitored anesthesia care with bolus doses of intravenous midazolam and dexmedetomidine, the blood pressure is greatly increased from a normal baseline to165/110 mmHg with no change in the heart rate. In this patient, agonism of which receptors is MOST LIKELY responsible for the increase in blood pressure?