Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: The EPIC (Evaluating Perioperative Ischemia Reduction by Clonidine) Study: A Randomized, Double-blinded Trial of Clonidine for Reducing Cardiac Morbidity and Mortality Following Non-cardiac Surgery.
Brief Summary: In Canada 1 patient in 200 dies within 30 days of an operation. More than half of these deaths are the direct result of a heart related complication. This cause of death happens 4 times more often than in the same people who do not have an operation. We do not have an effective way to stop these heart attacks. Stress causes the heart rate and the blood pressure to go up which causes the heart to work harder and may be the reason for some heart attacks. One group of drugs that stops the heart from working harder and decrease the number of heart related complications are BETA-BLOCKERS. We wish to add another drug, which has been shown to reduce heart rate and blood pressure, will reduce the number of heart attacks after an operation. CLONIDINE has been shown to reduce heart attacks after operations. Since we know it is not a good idea to stop beta-blockers we want to see if giving clonidine as well as a beta-blocker is safe and has the desired effect of decreasing the number of heart attacks. We want to find out how good the combination of these two drugs are at decreasing the number of heart attacks.

Hypothesis: The addition of clonidine to chronic b-blockade will reduce mortality and cardiac morbidity among intermediate-to-high risk patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery.


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria:

* All cardiac surgical patients

Exclusion Criteria:

* Non cardiac surgery
B: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age ≥ 45 years
2. Current use of b-blocker therapy\>=30 days prior to surgery
3. Undergoing non-cardiac surgery with an expected length of stay ≥ 48 hours for medical reasons
4. Informed consent
5. Undergoing major vascular surgery (excluding carotid endarterectomy, dialysis shunt, and vein stripping) OR

Meet \>= 2of the following criteria:

1. Coronary artery disease
2. Congestive heart failure
3. Stroke or transient ischemic attack
4. Diabetes mellitus requiring oral hypoglycemic or insulin therapy
5. Preoperative renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance below 60 mL/min)
6. Peripheral vascular disease, as defined by any of the following: history of ischemic intermittent claudication or rest pain, history of revascularization procedure to legs, peripheral arterial obstruction of \>= 50% luminal diameter
7. Age \>=70 years
8. Intermediate-risk surgical procedure: intra-peritoneal, intra-thoracic, carotid endarterectomy, major orthopedic (hip, knee, spine) surgery, radical prostatectomy, or head-and-neck surgery

Exclusion criteria: - if meets any of the following

1. Prior adverse reaction to clonidine or a-2 agonists
2. Current use of Clonidine or a-2 agonists
3. Current congestive heart failure
4. Only b-blocker taken by patient is sotalol
5. Left ventricular ejection fraction \<=40%
6. Systolic blood pressure \< = 90 mmHg
7. Concomitant life-threatening disease likely to limit life expectancy to \<=30 days.
8. Clinically significant aortic stenosis, defined as an aortic valve area \<=1.0 cm2 and/or peak trans-valvular pressure gradient \>= 25 mmHg
C: Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients undergoing noncardiac surgery
* ≥ 45 years of age; either sex.
* Have an expected length of stay ≥ 24 hours
* Fulfill any one of the following 6 criteria:

  * coronary artery disease;
  * peripheral vascular disease;
  * history of stroke due to atherothrombotic disease;
  * hospitalization for congestive heart failure within 3 years of randomization;
  * undergoing major vascular surgery; OR
  * any 3 of the following 7 criteria: scheduled for high risk surgery (i.e. intraperitoneal or intrathoracic); emergency/urgent surgery; any history of congestive heart failure; history of a transient ischemic attack (TIA); diabetes and currently on an oral hypoglycemic agent or insulin therapy; preoperative serum creatinine \> 175 µmol/L (\> 2.0 mg/dl); or age \> 70 years.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Contraindication to metoprolol including any of the following: significant bradycardia (heart rate \< 50 beats per minute); second or third degree heart block without a pacemaker; asthma that has been active within the last decade; and history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with bronchospasm on pulmonary function tests.
* Clinical plan to use a beta-blocker preoperatively or during the first 30 postoperative days
* Prior adverse reaction to a beta-blocker
* Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery with complete revascularization in the preceding 5 years and no evidence of cardiac ischemia since the CABG surgery
* Patients undergoing low risk surgical procedures (potential examples include transurethral procedures \[transurethral prostatectomies (TURPs), stone baskets, etc.\], ophthalmologic procedures under topical or regional anesthesia \[cornea transplants, cataract surgery, etc.\], and surgeries with limited physiological stresses \[digital re-implantation, nerve repairs, etc.\] )
* Concurrent use of verapamil
* Prior enrollment in this trial
D: Inclusion Criteria:

Patients of 60 years or older who are planning to receive cardiac surgery (CABG and/or valve replacement surgery)

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients will be excluded if they meet any of the following criteria:

1. Refuse to participate;
2. Preoperative history of schizophrenia, epilepsia, Parkinson syndrome, or severe dementia;
3. Inability to communicate in the preoperative period because of severe visual/auditory dysfunction or language barrier;
4. History of brain injury or neurosurgery;
5. Preoperative sick sinus syndrome, severe bradycardia (HR \< 50 bpm), second-degree or above atrioventricular block without pacemaker;
6. Severe hepatic dysfunction (Child-Pugh class C);
7. Severe renal dysfunction (requirement of renal replacement therapy);
8. Other conditions that are considered unsuitable for participation.

Answer: B