Which medication would a paramedic administer for chest pain suspected to be due to angina?

Nitroglycerin is the medication of choice for treating chest pain that is suspected to be due to angina. It is a vasodilator, meaning it helps to widen blood vessels, which can reduce the heart's workload and improve blood flow to the heart muscle. This action is particularly beneficial in cases of angina, where the heart's demand for oxygen exceeds the supply due to narrowed or blocked coronary arteries. By alleviating the pressure on the heart and improving blood supply, nitroglycerin can effectively relieve anginal pain.

For understanding the context of this choice, it's important to recognize that medications like atropine are used primarily to treat bradycardia or low heart rates, while dopamine is typically administered in cases of severe hypotension or shock for its inotropic effects. Ibuprofen, as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), addresses pain and inflammation but does not act on the cardiovascular system to relieve angina. Thus, nitroglycerin stands out as the appropriate therapeutic agent in this scenario due to its direct effects on cardiac oxygen demand and coronary circulation.