Study of Clevidipine Assessing Its Preoperative Antihypertensive Effect in Cardiac Surgery (ESCAPE-1)

Clevidipine (0.5 mg/mL in 20% lipid emulsion)will be administered intravenously at an initial infusion rate of 0.4 µg/kg/min and will be titrated, as tolerated, at the discretion of the investigator, in doubling increments approximately every 90 seconds up to a maximum of 3.2 µg/kg/min, in order to achieve the desired blood pressure lowering effect. Clevidipine may be titrated upwards or downwards and may be temporarily interrupted and restarted to attain the desired blood pressure effect. The maximum study drug infusion rate of 8.0 µg/kg/min may not be exceeded.

Placebo (20% lipid emulsion - vehicle) will be administered intravenously in a fashion identical to clevidipine as described above.