Initial Resuscitation for Acute Kidney Injury in Cirrhosis

NCT ID: NCT06525623

Last Updated: 2025-12-22

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

50 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-09-12

Study Completion Date

2026-09-30

Brief Summary

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The goal of this interventional study is to evaluate two strategies for how to provide intravenous (IV) fluids for treating patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) in cirrhosis. The main question it aims to answer is: what is the safety, efficacy, and feasibility of providing a recommendation to use a Volume Assessment Guidance Algorithm (VAGA) or give standard of care doses of IV albumin?

Patients will be randomly assigned where their treating teams will receive a VAGA-based recommendation or a standard of care IV albumin recommendation.

Detailed Description

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This randomized, open-label, pilot feasibility trial will assess a volume assessment guidance algorithm (VAGA) in patients with AKI and cirrhosis. Eligible patients must have AKI and decompensated cirrhosis. In addition to assessing the adherence to the suggested guidance, this study will measure the effect of the study intervention on grams of albumin given, clinical efficacy outcomes (AKI response rates, survival, RRT status, transplant status), and safety.

Patients who meet eligibility criteria will be randomized 1:1 where the treating clinicians will receive a one-time recommendation for volume resuscitation using the VAGA or standard of care IV albumin repletion (1 g/kg/day for two days). Both groups will be followed with assessments at 48 hours after randomization, hospital discharge, and 90-days after randomization.

The primary efficacy outcome, grams of albumin, will be measured at 48 hours after randomization. Primary secondary efficacy outcomes (grams of albumin, AKI response) will be assessed at time of hospital discharge. If a patient undergoes liver transplantation or initiation of RRT during the admission, this will serve as a censoring date for these outcomes, and relevant data will be collected at the time of the first of these events.

The primary feasibility outcome is adherence to the suggested guidance, assessed at 48 hours after randomization. The VAGA group will receive one of three potential clinical recommendations: (a) no further volume resuscitation, (b) resuscitation with crystalloid, or (c) resuscitation with colloid.

This study will prospectively enroll approximately 50 adult patients at a single center.

Conditions

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Cirrhosis, Liver Acute Kidney Injury Hepatorenal Syndrome

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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VAGA Group

This group will receive an algorithm-based recommendation based on the 2024 Acute Disease Quality Initiative (ADQI)/International Club of Ascites (ICA) joint consensus meeting on AKI in cirrhosis, which recommends a personalized approach to AKI in cirrhosis in order to avoid volume overload. This includes balanced crystalloids as first-line resuscitative fluids unless there is a patient-specific indication for an alternative colloid (e.g. blood for gastrointestinal bleeding, IV albumin for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis or suspicion of hepatorenal syndrome), or no further resuscitation.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Recommendation: No Further Resuscitation

Intervention Type OTHER

Treatment teams are encouraged not to administer any additional fluids

Recommendation: Resuscitation with Crystalloid

Intervention Type OTHER

Treatment teams are encouraged to administer crystalloid. Amount of resuscitative fluid will be determined by treatment team's clinical assessments and usual standards of care

Recommendation: Resuscitation with Colloid

Intervention Type OTHER

Treatment teams are encouraged to administer colloid. Amount of resuscitative fluid will be determined by treatment team's clinical assessments and usual standards of care

Standard of Care

This group will receive a recommendation based on the 2021 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and 2018 European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) clinical practice guidelines, which recommends a 1 g/kg/d IV albumin (maximum 100 g/day) IV albumin over 2 days as an initial resuscitation approach for patients with AKI and cirrhosis.

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Recommendation: Standard of Care IV Albumin

Intervention Type OTHER

Treatment teams are encouraged to administer 1 g/kg/d IV albumin (maximum 100 g/day) over 2 days

Interventions

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Recommendation: No Further Resuscitation

Treatment teams are encouraged not to administer any additional fluids

Intervention Type OTHER

Recommendation: Resuscitation with Crystalloid

Treatment teams are encouraged to administer crystalloid. Amount of resuscitative fluid will be determined by treatment team's clinical assessments and usual standards of care

Intervention Type OTHER

Recommendation: Resuscitation with Colloid

Treatment teams are encouraged to administer colloid. Amount of resuscitative fluid will be determined by treatment team's clinical assessments and usual standards of care

Intervention Type OTHER

Recommendation: Standard of Care IV Albumin

Treatment teams are encouraged to administer 1 g/kg/d IV albumin (maximum 100 g/day) over 2 days

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. Adult age 18 years or greater
2. Signed informed consent form (ICF) by any subject capable of giving consent, or, when the subject is not capable of giving consent, by their legally authorized representatives prior to initiation of any study procedures.
3. Admitted to the hospital
4. Diagnosis of decompensated cirrhosis (either prior to admission or new diagnosis on admission).
5. Presence of acute kidney injury (AKI) as defined by International Club of Ascites (ICA) criteria, defined as SCr increase of ≥0.3 mg/dL within 48 hours or ≥50% increase from baseline which is known or presumed to have occurred within the prior 7 days.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Requiring \>2 liters (L) supplemental oxygen at the time of screening.
2. In shock requiring vasopressors (vasoconstrictors for the treatment of AKI such as terlipressin, midodrine, and octreotide are allowed).
3. Allergy or other contraindication to IV albumin administration.
4. Death, liver transplant, or renal replacement therapy (RRT) expected within 48 hours.
5. Patient and/or legally authorized representative unable to provide informed consent.
6. Hepatic encephalopathy grade 3 or 4 at the time of screening.
7. Already received \>200 g albumin during admission at the time of screening.
8. Severe, active bleeding requiring 3 or more units of red blood cell transfusion in the 48 hours prior to screening.
9. Admission to the intensive care unit at the time of screening.
10. Mechanical ventilation at the time of screening.
11. Presence of New York Heart Association (NYHA) class 3-4 symptoms of congestive heart failure at the time of screening.
12. History of prior liver or kidney transplant.
13. Pregnant or nursing status
14. Any condition, in the opinion of the investigator, that could confound or interfere with the safe completion of study activities.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

Massachusetts General Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Andrew S. Allegretti, MD, MSC

Director of Critical Care Nephrology

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

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Massachusetts General Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Facility Contacts

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Sydney Whittaker, BS

Role: primary

Andrew S Allegretti, MD, MSc

Role: backup

References

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European Association for the Study of the Liver. EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of patients with decompensated cirrhosis. J Hepatol. 2018 Aug;69(2):406-460. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2018.03.024. Epub 2018 Apr 10. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29653741 (View on PubMed)

Biggins SW, Angeli P, Garcia-Tsao G, Gines P, Ling SC, Nadim MK, Wong F, Kim WR. Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Management of Ascites, Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis and Hepatorenal Syndrome: 2021 Practice Guidance by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Hepatology. 2021 Aug;74(2):1014-1048. doi: 10.1002/hep.31884. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33942342 (View on PubMed)

Nadim MK, Kellum JA, Forni L, Francoz C, Asrani SK, Ostermann M, Allegretti AS, Neyra JA, Olson JC, Piano S, VanWagner LB, Verna EC, Akcan-Arikan A, Angeli P, Belcher JM, Biggins SW, Deep A, Garcia-Tsao G, Genyk YS, Gines P, Kamath PS, Kane-Gill SL, Kaushik M, Lumlertgul N, Macedo E, Maiwall R, Marciano S, Pichler RH, Ronco C, Tandon P, Velez JQ, Mehta RL, Durand F. Acute kidney injury in patients with cirrhosis: Acute Disease Quality Initiative (ADQI) and International Club of Ascites (ICA) joint multidisciplinary consensus meeting. J Hepatol. 2024 Jul;81(1):163-183. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2024.03.031. Epub 2024 Mar 26.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 38527522 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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2024P001520

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

K23DK128567

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

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