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Zarbock A, Forni LG, Ostermann M, Ronco C, Bagshaw SM, Mehta RL, Bellomo R, Kellum JA. Designing acute kidney injury clinical trials. Nat Rev Nephrol 2024; 20:137-146. [PMID: 37653237 DOI: 10.1038/s41581-023-00758-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common clinical condition with various causes and is associated with increased mortality. Despite advances in supportive care, AKI increases not only the risk of premature death compared with the general population but also the risk of developing chronic kidney disease and progressing towards kidney failure. Currently, no specific therapy exists for preventing or treating AKI other than mitigating further injury and supportive care. To address this unmet need, novel therapeutic interventions targeting the underlying pathophysiology must be developed. New and well-designed clinical trials with appropriate end points must be subsequently designed and implemented to test the efficacy of such new interventions. Herein, we discuss predictive and prognostic enrichment strategies for patient selection, as well as primary and secondary end points that can be used in different clinical trial designs (specifically, prevention and treatment trials) to evaluate novel interventions and improve the outcomes of patients at a high risk of AKI or with established AKI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Zarbock
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, University Hospital of Münster, Münster, Germany.
- Outcomes Research Consortium, Cleveland, OH, USA.
| | - Lui G Forni
- Department of Critical Care, Royal Surrey Hospital Foundation Trust, Guildford, UK
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
| | - Marlies Ostermann
- Department of Intensive Care, King's College London, Guy's & St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK
| | - Claudio Ronco
- Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
- International Renal Research Institute of Vicenza, Vicenza, Italy
- Department of Nephrology, San Bortolo Hospital, Vicenza, Italy
| | - Sean M Bagshaw
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta and Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ravindra L Mehta
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Rinaldo Bellomo
- Department of Critical Care, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Intensive Care, Austin Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Intensive Care, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - John A Kellum
- The Center for Critical Care Nephrology, Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Forni LG. Blood Purification Studies in the ICU: What Endpoints Should We Use? Blood Purif 2022; 51:990-996. [DOI: 10.1159/000523761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The potential for treatment of the critically ill using blood purification techniques has been discussed for several decades. However, since the first attempts at applying extracorporeal techniques to patients with sepsis were described, there has been considerable hesitancy towards the widespread adoption of such methods, given the lack of mortality benefit observed and indeed the paucity of randomized controlled studies. However, this is not unique so far as studies on the critically ill are concerned where there is a dearth of studies providing a positive finding to influence clinical practice. Consequently, as well as targeted patient selection, it is perhaps time to consider endpoints other than mortality in studies on the critically ill, particularly in blood purification studies where, to-date, such heterogeneous groups of patients have been studied.
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Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a substantial public health problem. The discovery of progressive, ongoing damage to the brain by means of complex molecular mechanisms which follow the initial injury has raised the possibility of targeted therapeutic intervention. Despite a substantial investment in trials testing dozens of therapeutics in humans, however, to date none has demonstrated robust efficacy. Deficiencies in the design of human clinical trials is likely to explain many translational failures, at least in part. Here we review secondary injury mediators and key trials which have targeted them. We provide a thorough discussion of putative reasons why trials thus far have failed and suggestions for the design of future clinical studies. Important insights from the IMPACT study are also presented in detail; in addition to providing critical insights for future trial design and analysis it suggests that reanalysis of completed studies may reveal inappropriately discarded treatments. Unfortunately limited resources are available for translational research and it is difficult to procure funds needed for well-resourced, large and definitive studies. History suggests, however, that investing in studies that are unlikely to provide a definitive answer only serves to increase required investment as they tend to mandate further study.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - M Ross Bullock
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Lois Pope LIFE Center, Miami, FL, USA.
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