Clinical Research Directory

Correlation Between Preoperative Sleep and Postoperative Brain and Renal Dysfunction

To explore the correlation between preoperative sleep parameter clustering and postoperative brain and renal dysfunction.

Nafamostat Mesylate Versus Regional Citrate Anticoagulation for Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy in Sepsis-Associated Acute Kidney Injury

Sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) is common in critically ill patients and often requires continuous kidney replacement therapy (CRRT). The choice of blood thinner (anticoagulation) during CRRT affects how long the filter works and the risk of bleeding. Citrate is the current standard blood thinner, but it can cause metabolic problems in patients with shock or liver dysfunction. Nafamostat mesylate (NM) is a newer alternative with a very short half-life and local action, which may offer both effectiveness and safety. However, no large, high-quality study has directly compared NM with citrate in SA-AKI patients. This study aims to show that NM is not worse than citrate for a key outcome called MAKE30 (a combination of death, continued need for kidney replacement therapy, or persistent kidney dysfunction at 30 days). We will also compare filter life, kidney recovery, death rates, hospital stay, bleeding events, and other outcomes. This is a multicenter, randomized, single-blind, non-inferiority trial. A total of 1162 patients will be assigned equally to receive either NM or citrate during CRRT. Patients will not know which treatment they get, but healthcare providers will know. The study includes adults aged 18-90 with sepsis and severe acute kidney injury requiring CRRT for more than 48 hours, who have given informed consent. Key exclusions include active bleeding risk, severe liver failure, pregnancy, or participation in another trial within 3 months. The main outcome is MAKE30 at 30 days. Secondary outcomes include filter life, days off CRRT, death rates, length of stay, bleeding, and changes in organ failure scores. Safety monitoring will focus on metabolic problems and citrate accumulation. The study is designed to test whether NM is non-inferior to citrate with a margin of 5%. If non-inferiority is shown, we will also test if NM is superior. Analyses will follow intention-to-treat principles.

Prospective Validation of AKI Prediction

The purpose of this prospective observational study is to implement, deploy, and quantify accuracy of an existing Pediatric Early AKI Risk Score algorithm. The implementation will be facilitated using a Health Level 7 (HL7) Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource (FHIR)-based architecture. Investigators will deploy this model and store results in a manner not viewable to the clinical team caring for the patient. To determine the accuracy of the implemented prediction model, Investigators will prospectively identify patients with AKI at 72 hours following ICU admission. Investigators hypothesize that this model will prospectively detect AKI with a sensitivity \>70% and a positive predictive value \>20%, both chosen a priori as 10% improvement over the initial Pediatric AKI Risk Score tool.

UPTAKE: Using Personalized Risk and Digital Tools to Guide Transitions Following Acute Kidney Events

Nearly one in ten people who are hospitalized in Canada develop a complication with sudden loss of kidney function, called acute kidney injury (AKI). AKI may lead to other severe health problems after discharge home, such as kidney failure requiring dialysis treatment, heart failure, heart attacks, stroke, and even premature death. Discharge from hospital to home can be a difficult transition where there are often gaps in identification, communication, care coordination, education, and planning of care for AKI. The study team will co-design and evaluate a tailored post-discharge care plan that is based on the risk of later kidney problems and uses currently available, yet untapped digital innovation to improve the health and experience of people with AKI. This study will be built into Alberta's new Epic Systems based provincial electronic health record (EHR). The plan is to use digital tools in the EHR to identify all people in Alberta hospitals that have had an AKI event and are at increased risk of long-term complications. Half will randomly be assigned to receive a tailored care plan based on their risk at hospital discharge while the other half will receive care as it is currently provided by their healthcare team. The electronic health system will automatically calculate a patient's risk and report this risk in their chart along with recommendations for care. The study team includes patients, healthcare providers, and health system decision makers needed to co-develop the proposed strategy and introduce the changes needed to deliver this intervention. The investigators will study whether this strategy can reduce health problems that may happen after AKI including death, chronic kidney disease (CKD), kidney failure, heart attacks, and stroke. The investigators will also determine if the approach improves patient experience during the transition from hospital to home. This study has the potential to revolutionize how we care for people that leave hospital after having AKI.

Validation of a Regional Citrate Anticoagulation Protocol in Critically Ill Patients on Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a modified continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) protocol in maintaining electrolyte balance in adult patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). The study assesses whether the use of continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration (CVVHDF) with post-filter replacement under citrate anticoagulation reduces electrolyte losses and the need for electrolyte supplementation compared with standard dialytic CRRT. Participants receiving standard CRRT will be compared with those treated with the modified protocol. The duration of participation corresponds to the period during which CRRT is required. Data collection will cease once CRRT is discontinued.

Prospective, Multi-center, Single-arm, Observational Study. US FDA 522 Pediatric Post Market Surveillance Study.

The post market surveillance study will employ a prospective, multi-center, single-arm, observational design to capture data on children who undergo CRRT using the Carpediem™ system. Participating clinicians will manage subjects in accordance to their local standard of care practices and decisions on initiating, modifying or discontinuing CRRT are up to the local investigative team's prescription. A minimum of 10 centers in the United States, that have been trained on the use of the Carpediem™ system, will be invited to participate in the study. After obtaining institutional review board approval and written informed consent from a parent or legally authorized representative (LAR), data from all subjects treated with the Carpediem™ system will be included in the study. A minimum of 35 subjects will be enrolled and sites may be asked to screen and enroll patients for the study for up to 36 months. Status of subjects discharged from hospital will be collected at 30- and-90 days following hospital discharge by phone interviews in accordance to local standard of care practices, review of in-hospital records or in-clinic visit, as available.

Postoperative Acute Kidney Injury in Children Undergoing Major Non-cardiac Surgery

This project aims to conduct an international, prospective, multicentre, observational study to determine the incidence of Postoperative Acute Kidney Injury (PO-AKI) in hospitalized children after noncardiac surgery. Urinary biomarkers are intended to be evaluated as predictors of PO-AKI in the same subjects. The study employs modern standardized classifications for AKI to comprehensively address the issue of PO-AKI in children. Describing the incidence and identifying risk factors for PO-AKI will play a crucial role in developing preventive strategies aimed at reducing associated mortality and morbidity. Furthermore, investigating the relationship between urinary biomarkers of renal injury and PO-AKI will provide valuable insights into assessing postoperative renal function in paediatric patients, especially when repeated blood sampling is not feasible.

LoW Dose-Intensity vs. Standard Dose-Intensity COntinuous Renal ReplaceMent Therapy in Critically Ill Patients (WISDOM)

An estimated 10-15% of critically ill patients with acute kidney failure in the intensive care unit receive acute dialysis therapy. The majority of these patients initially receive a continuous form of dialysis therapy call continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Prior studies have suggested that higher CRRT dose-intensity improved health outcomes for these patients; however, this was not found in high-quality clinical trials. These more recent trials suggested a lower range of dose-intensity compared with the higher range as the new standard of care. This was incorporated into guidelines. To date, no clinical trials have evaluated this lower range and specifically, it is plausible that an even lower dose-intensity of CRRT may be well tolerated, safe, associated with similar outcomes and be more cost-effective. This is the objective of the WISDOM trial, to compare the guideline standard with lower dose-intensity among patients who are started on CRRT in the intensive care unit.

Study of the Incidence and Prognosis of Intrahospital Acute Kidney Injury

The goal of this observational study is to investigate the epidemiology of acute kidney injury in hospitalized patients. The main question it aims to answer is: how frequent is the development of acute kidney injury in patients who are hospitalized? Data from participants will be retrospectively collected from medical charts.

Neutrophil and Monocyte Deactivation Via the SeLective CytopheretIc Device - A Randomized Clinical Trial in Acute Kidney Injury

This randomized, controlled, pivotal study is intended to determine whether up to ten sequential 24-hour treatments with the Selective Cytopheretic Device (SCD) will improve survival in patients with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) requiring continuous kidney replacement therapy (CKRT) when compared to CKRT alone (standard of care). This study is further intended to determine whether SCD therapy will reduce the duration of maintenance dialysis secondary to AKI. This study will enroll approximately 339 subjects across 30 US sites. Participants will be patients in an intensive care unit (ICU) setting with a diagnosis of AKI requiring CKRT.

Peri-procedural Hydration to Prevent Acute Kidney Injury After Pulsed Field Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation

PFA is an emerging non-thermal ablation technology with favorable procedural safety; however, recent studies have raised concerns about peri-procedural hemolysis and subsequent AKI after PFA. This study is a single-center, open-label, randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate whether standardized peri-procedural intravenous hydration can reduce the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) after pulsed field ablation (PFA) for atrial fibrillation (AF). Eligible adult patients with symptomatic paroxysmal or persistent AF scheduled for PFA will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either a standardized hydration strategy or a control strategy without routine prophylactic hydration. The hydration group will receive 0.9% saline at 2 mL/kg/h from entry into the electrophysiology laboratory until 12 hours after the procedure, while the control group will receive no routine preventive hydration and will be treated with fluids only if clinically indicated. The primary outcome is any in-hospital AKI defined according to Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. Secondary endpoints include in-hospital AKI severity by KDIGO stage, in-hospital persistent moderate-to-severe AKI, in-hospital renal replacement therapy, changes in renal function after the procedure, and clinical outcomes through 30 and 90 days, including all-cause death, persistent AKI, renal replacement therapy, all-cause rehospitalization, and composite major adverse events.

Bleeding Reduction in Acute and Chronic Kidney Patients Having Surgery (BRACKETS) Pilot Trial

The BRACKETS pilot study is a multicentre, prospective, randomized controlled trial of prophylactic preoperative tranexamic acid (TXA) versus placebo and, using a partial factorial design, of prophylactic preoperative desmopressin versus placebo.

A Protocol Based-Furosemide Stress Test to Evaluate Renal Recovery During Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy

Currently, continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is the main modality for renal support in critically ill patients with hemodynamic instability. Most studies have investigated the timing of RRT initiation. However, prolonged CRRT demonstrated the association of many unexpected events, such as catheter-related complications, catheter-related blood stream infection, hypotension, hypothermia, tachycardia, and atrial fibrillation. Up to now, there is a lack of evidence regarding the timing of withholding CRRT. The furosemide stress test (FST) is a tool that is easy to use and has more availability. The investigators aimed to apply FST to evaluate renal recovery compared with standard treatment in critically ill patients undergoing CRRT.

Use of NGAL for Fluid Dosing and CRRT Initiation in Pediatric AKI

This study follows a group of patients admitted to the PICU who are identified as being at risk for developing acute kidney injury. The investigators will use risk-stratification, biomarker testing, and a functional assessment to predict patients who will become fluid overloaded and develop acute kidney injury.

Doppler Evaluation for Congestive Acute Kidney Injury in Critical Illness

This study will evaluate the use of the Venous Excess Ultrasound (VExUS) score to guide fluid management in critically ill ICU patients through a prospective, multi-aim design combining observational and randomized components. The study will be conducted in the medical intensive care unit (MICU), multidisciplinary critical care unit (MCCU), and cardiac care unit (CCU) at UAB.

Improving Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy Outcomes in Neonates and Infants Through Interdisciplinary Collaboration

To date, little knowledge exists related to the use of hemodialysis (HD) in infants and has been limited to mainly single center studies. The CARPEDIEM (CArdio-Renal PEdiatric Dialysis Emergency Machine) device, which can be used to provide hemodialysis in infants, has been launched in the United States. This study/registry is designed to obtain data on critically ill infants who require HD using the CARPEDIEM device to understand the indications for initiation, best practice in prescribing and performing treatment, expected treatment course, and outcomes of a dedicated infant continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) machine.

QUELIMMUNE (SCD-PED) PediAtric SurVeillance REgistry

QUELIMMUNE is FDA-approved under an HDE for the treatment of pediatric patients (weight ≥10kg and age ≤22 years) with AKI due to sepsis or a septic condition on antibiotic therapy and requiring RRT. The purpose of this surveillance registry is to prospectively collect safety data among all patients treated with QUELIMMUNE under the HDE. More specifically, we intend on comparing the incidence of new (secondary) blood stream infections in the first 28 days after SCD-PED initiation to a comparator group of matched CKRT patients with sepsis who did not receive treatment with QUELIMMUNE

Biomarker and Renal Angina Validation to Assess Heart-Kidney Outcomes After Amino Acid Therapy

The goal of the BRAVE-HEART study is to learn if an amino acid infusion can reduce the risk of developing acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery in children. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does an amino acid infusion decrease the number of participants with acute kidney injury? 2. Does an amino acid infusion decrease the number of days that participants are on a ventilator after cardiac surgery? Researchers will compare amino acids to a placebo (a look-alike substance that contains no drug) to see if amino acids decrease the number of participants with acute kidney injury. Participants will receive an amino acid or placebo infusion for up to 72 hours starting during cardiac surgery and only while in the operating room or the intensive care unit.

Proactive Prescription-based Fluid Management vs Usual Care in Critically Ill Patients on Kidney Replacement Therapy

A pilot randomized clinical trial comparing a protocol-based fluid management strategy to usual care in critically ill patients receiving kidney replacement therapy. The fluid management protocol is intended to achieve neutral or negative daily fluid balance by both preventing and treating fluid accumulation.

Groundbreaking Renal Assist Device Intervening to ENhance cardioThoracic Surgery Outcomes

Patients with renal insufficiency who undergo cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) are at significant risk for exacerbation of renal dysfunction postoperatively. This in turn is associated with an increased risk of prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, other comorbidities including surgical complications and 30-day mortality. Renal impairment is generally identified based on an increase in serum creatinine concentration and/or a certain magnitude decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). The JuxtaFlow® Renal Assist Device (RAD) is designed to sustain or enhance glomerular filtration perioperatively for patients with renal insufficiency by applying a mild controlled negative pressure to the collecting system via the renal pelvis, thereby increasing effective filtration pressure and reducing tubular pressure. This mechanism is designed to support the kidneys' functions during times of renal stress that would be associated with intrarenal edema, volume overload, increased venous pressure, and inflammatory response. By supporting renal function, specifically during the acute stress of CPB, JuxtaFlow holds promise to protect nephron function, decrease renal hypoxia, and provide multifactorial kidney function support to maintain their ability to manage future stress.

Molecular Prediction of Development, Progression or Complications of Kidney, Immune or Transplantation-related Diseases

Managing patients with renal failure requires an understanding of the molecular mechanisms that lead to its occurrence (i.e. upstream of the disease), its worsening and its persistence (i.e. downstream), while also specifying the risk of worsening renal failure (risk stratification, intolerance to the treatment or complications (infectious, metabolic, cardiovascular, cancer…). Nephrogene 2.0 aims to study these different components of kidney, immune and solid organ transplantation (SOT)-related diseases.

Histopathological Analysis of Renal Biopsies With Dynamic Full-field Optical Coherence Tomography, a Comparison to Conventional Histopathological Findings for the Diagnosis of Either Acute Kidney Injury or Chronic Kidney Disease in Routine Practices (NEPHROCT)

Kidney biopsy play a key role for the investigation of either acute kidney injury or chronic kidney disease. Despite possible complications due to the invasive nature of the biopsy, such procedure is still essential in a number of clinical situations to improve the diagnosis specificity of kidney disease, better inform about its prognosis and guide the management of a future treatment. Pursuing the idea to improve both performance and rapidity associated with the histopathological analysis of kidney biopsy, with a possible recourse to artificial intelligence-based renal pathology, the present study intends to assess the impact of direct histopathological examination of kidney biopsy with dynamic full-field optical coherence tomography in routine practices for the diagnosis of either acute kidney injury or chronic kidney disease.

Preoperative Hemoglobin and Acute Kidney Injury in Emergency Surgery

Optimization of hemoglobin levels for organ perfusion is essential, especially in critically ill patients. Although anemia is associated with severe organ failure, especially in coronary artery disease, the effects of blood transfusion or various interventions to increase hemoglobin levels on outcomes continue to be debated. The effects of hemoglobin levels in emergency surgery patients on the development of postoperative AKI have been investigated in a small number of studies in the literature, and clear results have not yet been reported. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of hemoglobin levels on the development of AKI after adjustment for known predictive factors.

Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Cognitive Measures and Markers of Acute Kidney Injury After Exercise in the Heat

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if one week of creatine monohydrate supplementation alters inflammation, markers of acute kidney injury (AKI) risk, and cognitive performance in active, young, healthy volunteers. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does one-week of creatine supplementation alter urinary markers of inflammation (cytokines) during exercise in the heat when compared to placebo? 2. Does one-week of creatine supplementation alter markers of AKI during exercise in the heat when compared to placebo? 3. Does one-week of creatine supplementation attenuate reductions in cognitive measures as a response of fatigue from exertional heat stress. Researchers will compare creatine monohydrate to a placebo (maltodextrin) to see if it alters inflammation, risk of acute kidney injury, and cognition after exercise in the heat. Participants will : * Complete a baseline aerobic exercise test to measure VO2max * Ingest 20 grams per day of creatine monohydrate or placebo (maltodextrin) for seven consecutive days * Cycle for 90 minutes in a heated chamber (38 C, \~40% relative humidity), alternating low- and high-intensity exercise * Self-collect urine before, after, and one-hour after exercise * Self-insert a rectal thermistor to measure core temperature * Complete cognitive tasks using the NIH toolbox before and after exercise to assess cognition * Complete the other condition (placebo or creatine) at least 21 days later