[The effect of various cutaneously administered nitroglycerin preparations on coronary heart disease].

Sublingually administered nitroglycerin provides marked benefit in the treatment of angina pectoris due to occlusive coronary disease. Because of its brief duration of action, its usefulness as a prophylactic agent is limited. One way to prolong the beneficial effects is cutaneous administration of a nitroglycerin ointment, and the effects and duration of action of three different preparations of topical nitroglycerin on exercise performance have therefore been studied in a double-blind randomized manner in 44 patients with well documented coronary artery disease and stable angina pectoris. 30 mg 2% nitroglycerin ointment((Plantorgan Co.) produced significant improvement in maximal exercise capacity one and six hours after application; concomitantly there was a decrease in the sum of exercise induced ST-segment depression especially one hour, but less markedly six hours, later. 10 mg 2% nitroglycerin ointment (Pohl Boskamp Co.) also produced an increase in maximal exercise tolerance and a reduction in the degree of myocardial ischemia estimated by the magnitude of exercise-induced ST-segment depression one hour after application, but no clear effect could be measured four hours later. 25 mg nitroglycerin in the "transdermal therapeutic system" (Ciba Geigy) produced a significant improvement in maximal exercise capacity and a significant decrease in the sum of exercise-induced ST-segment depression one and five hours after cutaneous application. Side effects were not observed during these studies, and the topical compatibility of the different ointments was good.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)