Table 2 Exclusion criteria

Considerable pre-stroke dependency in activities of daily living, defined as staying in a chronic nursing home or rehabilitation centre

Known pregnancy or lactation

Indication for acute treatment with nitroglycerin or known use of nitroglycerin in the previous 12 h

Known hypersensitivity to GTN, nitrates in general or adhesives used in the patch

Glasgow Coma Scale < 8

Known with any of the following heart disorders: myocardial insufficiency due to obstruction; aortic or mitral valve stenosis; constrictive pericarditis; hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy; cardiac tamponade

Known marked anaemia, defined as haemoglobin < 5 mmol/L

Known closed angle glaucoma

Known use of phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors (e.g. sildenafil)