The authors conducted a study to determine if prophylactic clonidine reduces the incidence of perioperative myocardial ischemia and postoperative death in noncardiac surgery patients. Patients were administered clonidine or placebo (orally and a patch) the night before surgery and the morning of surgery. The patch (clonidine or placebo) was removed after 4 days. Clonidine reduced the rate of postoperative death up to 2 years; perioperative myocardial ischemia was significantly reduced; and prophylactic clonidine had minimal hemodynamlc effects.
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