[Transcutaneous transport of trinitrin in children after application of nitroglycerin patches].

Plasma levels of nitroglycerin were measured 13 to 24 hours after the application of nitroglycerin stamps in 7 children aged from 1 month to 7 years and suffering from heart failure. The plasma levels varied considerably from one patient to another, confirming that the bioavailability of transdermal nitroglycerin is extremely variable in children. Only 3 patients had a nitraemia higher than 1 ng/ml, a figure compatible with a haemodynamic effect of the drug. No side-effect associated with the nitroglycerin stamps was observed. The dosage we use (a quarter of a stamp for 5 kg bodyweight) seems to be adequate at the beginning of treatment, to be progressively increased according to the way the drug is tolerated.