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Subchronic and chronic efficacy of a 10 mg of nitroglycerin (NTG) patch was studied in 30 patients with stable angina pectoris. The trial consisted of 2 periods of study: 1 period of 2 months with a double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled design and a second period of open treatment with verum patch. Two 7-day washout periods were performed at entry and at the end of the study. Efficacy was evaluated by clinical assessment of anginal attacks and NTG consumption and by means of multistage treadmill exercise testing. Exercise tests were performed at time 0 (24 hours from application of last patch), at 4 and 12 hours after dosing at the end of first 7-day washout, at the end of first month of treatment, at the end of the second month of treatment after crossover, at the end of 3 months of treatment with active patch and at the end of the second 7-day washout period. Statistics were obtained by multivariate analysis of difference. in 27 patients whose records were available for final analysis the dally attacks of angina and NTG consumption decreased significantly during both the subchronic and chronic phases of the trial compared with placebo (p (Am J Cardiol 1990;65:9J-15J), The effectiveness of a ten-milligram dose of nitroglycerin (NTG) in treating stable angina pectoris was assessed in ten patients. Angina pectoris is chest pain resulting from myocardial ischemia, an insufficient supply of blood to the heart. The study began with an initial seven-day washout period, during which patients received a placebo, a substance with no known therapeutic effect. This was followed by a two-month period referred to as the subchronic phase of treatment, in which patients received either a placebo or NTG. The subchronic period was followed by a chronic period of treatment with NTG for three months. The study ended with a second seven-day washout period. The effectiveness of NTG was assessed by clinical evaluation of the anginal attacks, NTG consumption, and results from treadmill exercise tests, which were performed at specific times throughout the study. Daily attacks of angina and NTG consumption decreased during the chronic and subchronic periods of NTG treatment. The duration of exercise which was tolerated by patients, the time before occurrence of anginal attacks, and the times to regression or disappearance of angina and abnormal changes in electrical activity of the heart associated with angina, improved during the subchronic phase of NTG treatment. Although the effectiveness of NTG was maintained during the three months of chronic therapy, improvements in duration of exercise and time before onset of angina slightly reduced. The period for recovery from angina, and electrical abnormalities associated with angina, increased with chronic therapy as compared to subchronic therapy. Although chronic NTG therapy of three months is associated with a slight reduction in effectiveness of NTG, this would not abolish the benefits of NTG patch treatment of angina. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)