Clinical Research Directory

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.

1 vs 7 RATG Infusions in Renal Transplantation

This trial is to compare the risk/benefit profile over six-month follow-up of two induction immunosuppressive regimens based on one or seven low-dose perioperative RATG infusions on top of the same induction therapy with basiliximab and steroid (progressively tapered post-transplant) and maintenance therapy with calcineurin inhibitors and mycophenolate mofetil/mycophenolic acid in 75 recipients (25 Patients and 50 Reference-Patients) of a single or dual first kidney transplant from an ideal or marginal donor at a single Renal Transplant Center.

Development and Test of a Communication Skills Training for Transplant Providers - Aims 2 & 3

The goal of this clinical trial is to understand the communication occurring between Black and Caucasian patients and their transplant providers during transplant evaluation consultations and assess relationships between these communicative elements and patient and provider factors, patient-reported outcomes and living donor transplant outcomes - living donor referrals, evaluations, and transplants. We will use these findings to inform the development of a communication skills training for transplant providers and test the impact of the training on providers' communication about live donor kidney transplants with Black and Caucasian patients and living donor transplant outcomes. The main questions it aims to answer are: * How does the use of the use of instrumental, relational and affective communication by patients and providers during the transplant consultation differ by patient and provider factors, patient-reported outcomes and patient ethnicity? * What elements of instrumental, relational and affective communication will be predictive of live donor kidney transplant (LDKT) process outcomes (LD inquiries and evaluations, and actual LDKTs)? Participants will be asked to complete brief surveys before and after the transplant consultation and to give permission for the consultation to be audiorecorded. This data will be used to develop a training to educate providers on the key communication factors predictive of LDKT process outcomes specific to Black and Caucasian patients, and provide guidance on their application during patient consultations. Researchers will then compare communication and patient-reported and LDKT process outcomes between trained and untrained providers to see whether the training has any effect on living donor inquiries and evaluations, and actual LDKTs.

Kidney Perfusion With or Without Absorption

In this single-center, pilot, prospective, randomized study, the investigators will compare the biochemical profiles of the perfusate and the functional parameters of five kidneys perfused with Integrated PerLife® system and "PerSorb ECOS-300CY ™" sorbent (adsorption groups) with the profiles of the perfusate and functional parameters of five matched kidneys perfused with Integrated PerLife® system only (non-adsorption group). Kidneys from marginal donors with a clinical indication to pre-transplant histological evaluation (donor \>70-years-old or aged 60 to 69 years but with hypertension, diabetes and/or clinical proteinuria) will be allocated to perfusion with or without adsorption using a 1:1 randomization ratio. When both donor kidneys will have a score from 0 to 4, the two kidneys will be used for two single transplants. When one kidney will have a score from 0 to 4 and the other kidney will have a score of 5 or more, and when both kidneys will have a score from 5 to 7, the two kidneys will be transplanted together into the same recipient. If one kidney will have a score from 5 to 7 and the other kidney will have a score of 8 or greater, the two kidneys will be discarded. With the use of the minimization method, the randomization will be planned in order to have the same number of single or dual transplants in the perfusion kidney groups with or without adsorption. Donor selection, kidney evaluation and allocation and recipient management will be based on per center practice.

Intermittent ADVOS vs. Hemodialysis in Non-intensive Care Patients With Liver Dysfunction

In the planned randomized controlled prospective pilot study, we aim to evaluate ADVOS compared with conventional hemodialysis regarding the elimination of protein-bound toxins in patients with therapy-refractory hepatorenal syndrome. The study will be performed in a regular non-ICU ward with a large experience in the use of the ADVOS therapy.