Low Serum Creatinine as a Predictor of Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation and Weaning Failure

NCT ID: NCT07177183

Last Updated: 2025-09-16

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

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

492 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-10-01

Study Completion Date

2026-12-31

Brief Summary

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The main objective of the study is to determine whether a subnormal serum creatinine value upon admission to the Post-ICU Care Unit predicts the need for prolonged ventilatory support. A parallel objective of the study is to determine whether exogenous in-take of the dietary supplement creatine in patients with subnormal serum creatinine value is associated with a shortened duration of ventilatory support and improved patients outcome.

Detailed Description

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More than 95% of serum creatinine comes from skeletal muscles, where it is formed by non-enzymatic degradation of creatine. Therefore, in patients with normal kidney function, the serum creatinine value closely correlates with muscle mass volume. It is well documented that critically ill patients lose almost 20% of their muscle mass volume during the first 10 days of their stay in the intensive care unit (ICU). At the same time, it is clear that it is from this group of "longer-stay" patients that those who need subsequent intensive care come. From the above, it can be assumed that in some patients admitted to the post-ICU care unit, the admission serum creatinine value may be subnormal due to muscle devastation caused during the stay in the ICU. This assumption was verified by analysing the admission creatinine values in a group of chronically ventilated adult patients admitted to the post-ICU care unit on CHRONICARE GROUP a.s. over five consecutive months. Of the total number of 264 patients, 123 (47%) patients had an admission serum creatinine value in the subnormal range.

Subnormal serum creatinine levels in patients admitted to the post-ICU care unit may have a number of causes, most of which are related to the patient's pre-existing illness, medical interventions in the ICU, or the critical illness itself. It may be related to chronic liver disease (suppressed creatine synthesis) or kidney disease (suppressed creatine synthesis). It may also be a falsely low serum creatinine level caused by fluid overload. Critical illness itself leads to sarcopenia, as a result of which the total amount of creatinine produced in the muscles decreases, and therefore the serum creatinine concentration. Unfortunately, the development of sarcopenia induced by critical illness cannot be influenced therapeutically. Similarly, mitochondrial dysfunction in muscle cells induced by critical illness cannot be influenced therapeutically. This abnormality leads to a decrease in Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) production and therefore to a decrease in the formation of creatine phosphate, which is the main source for creatinine formation (the conversion of creatine phosphate to creatinine is 3 times faster than the conversion of creatine to creatinine). It is also possible that the subnormal value of serum creatinine is a consequence of an insufficient supply of creatine during nutritional support of critically ill patients in the ICU. Parenteral nutrition does not contain creatine at all, and enteral nutrition are mostly made from milk, which contains only minimal amounts of creatine. This fact creates an environment for the transformation of critically ill patients into the "position of vegetarians", who have demonstrably lower serum creatinine concentrations and also lower muscle strength than "omnivores".

A number of clinical studies have shown that low serum creatinine on admission are associated with higher mortality in patients admitted to the ICU. However, it is not known whether this finding also apply to patients admitted to the post-ICU care unit. Similarly, it is not known whether nutritional support enriched with creatine can improve the outcome of patients admitted to the ICU or to the post-ICU care units. Creatine is a food supplement with significant ergogenic potential and its beneficial effect in these patients is generally expected. The aim of the study is to contribute to clarifying the above-described uncertainties in the knowledge of this issue. The relationship between subnormal serum creatinine od admission and weaning from mechanical ventilation will be investigated through prospective observation, with the assumption that patients with subnormal creatinine levels will have a prolonged weaning compared to patients with normal creatinine values. The methodology of a prospective double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial will be used to investigate the benefit of supplementing nutritional support with creatine in a group of patients with subnormal creatinine value on admission. It is assumed that this procedure will be associated with a reduction in the need for ventilatory support and a better outcome compared to patients who will not receive creatine.

Conditions

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Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation Critical Illness

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

The patients will be randomised into three study arms (active treatment, placebo and controls)
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Investigators
This is a double-blind study.

Study Groups

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Group 1 (control group)

Patients with normal baseline serum creatinine value will be enrolled in this group. The care provided to patients in this group will not differ from the usual care provided to other patients.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

No intervention

Intervention Type OTHER

Patients in Group 1 will serve as controls and will receive no intervention, only standard care.

Group 2 (intervention group)

Patients with subnormal baseline serum creatinine value will be randomly assigned to group 2 or 3. One group will receive creatine as a dietary supplement and the other will receive placebo. Other care provided to subjects in these groups will not differ from the usual care.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Dietary supplement creatine

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Dietary supplement creatine. The dosage of creatine will be as follows: for the first 7 days after enrolment, the daily dose will be 2x5g. From days 8 to 21, the daily dose will be 1x5g. The substance will be administered orally or through a nasogastric tube.

Group 3 (intervention group)

Patients with subnormal baseline serum creatinine value will be randomly assigned to group 2 or 3. One group will receive creatine as a dietary supplement and the other will receive placebo. Other care provided to subjects in these groups will not differ from the usual care.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Dietary supplement - placebo

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Dietary supplement polydextrose as a placebo. The dosage of placebo will be as follows: for the first 7 days after enrolment, the daily dose will be 2x5g. From days 8 to 21, the daily dose will be 1x5g. The substance will be administered orally or through a nasogastric tube.

Interventions

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Dietary supplement creatine

Dietary supplement creatine. The dosage of creatine will be as follows: for the first 7 days after enrolment, the daily dose will be 2x5g. From days 8 to 21, the daily dose will be 1x5g. The substance will be administered orally or through a nasogastric tube.

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Dietary supplement - placebo

Dietary supplement polydextrose as a placebo. The dosage of placebo will be as follows: for the first 7 days after enrolment, the daily dose will be 2x5g. From days 8 to 21, the daily dose will be 1x5g. The substance will be administered orally or through a nasogastric tube.

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

No intervention

Patients in Group 1 will serve as controls and will receive no intervention, only standard care.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Patients \<18 years of age
* Patients admitted to post-ICU care units at Chronicare Group a.s. in the Czech Republic within 12 months

Exclusion Criteria

* Patients who are unlikely to be weaned from ventilatory support.
* Patients in palliative care or with a survival probability of \<3 months
* Patients with advanced malignancy
* Patients with a history of chronic kidney disease
* Patients with a history of chronic liver disease
* Patients with supranormal serum creatinine on admission to the post-ICU care unit
* Patients who refused to sign the Informed Consent with participation in the study.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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University Hospital Ostrava

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Roman Kula, MD, CSc

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

University Hospital Ostrava

Locations

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Chronicare Mund s.r.o.

Brno, , Czechia

Site Status

Chronicare Mund s.r.o.

Brno, , Czechia

Site Status

Chronicare s.r.o.

Milovice, , Czechia

Site Status

Chronicare Nord s.r.o.

Ostrava, , Czechia

Site Status

Countries

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Czechia

Central Contacts

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Jiří Hynčica

Role: CONTACT

0042059737 ext. 2587

Facility Contacts

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Petr Jelínek, MD, Ph.D.

Role: primary

00420775530275

Petra Kempná, MD

Role: primary

00420532299138

Anton Baluch, MD

Role: primary

00420326550688

Hana Csibrei, MD

Role: primary

00420595530562

References

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Williamson L, New D. How the use of creatine supplements can elevate serum creatinine in the absence of underlying kidney pathology. BMJ Case Rep. 2014 Sep 19;2014:bcr2014204754. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2014-204754.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25239988 (View on PubMed)

Groeneveld GJ, Beijer C, Veldink JH, Kalmijn S, Wokke JH, van den Berg LH. Few adverse effects of long-term creatine supplementation in a placebo-controlled trial. Int J Sports Med. 2005 May;26(4):307-13. doi: 10.1055/s-2004-817917.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 15795816 (View on PubMed)

Gala K, Desai V, Liu N, Omer EM, McClave SA. How to Increase Muscle Mass in Critically Ill Patients: Lessons Learned from Athletes and Bodybuilders. Curr Nutr Rep. 2020 Dec;9(4):369-380. doi: 10.1007/s13668-020-00334-0.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33098051 (View on PubMed)

Thongprayoon C, Cheungpasitporn W, Kittanamongkolchai W, Harrison AM, Kashani K. Prognostic Importance of Low Admission Serum Creatinine Concentration for Mortality in Hospitalized Patients. Am J Med. 2017 May;130(5):545-554.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2016.11.020. Epub 2016 Dec 18.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 27998681 (View on PubMed)

Thongprayoon C, Cheungpasitporn W, Kashani K. Serum creatinine level, a surrogate of muscle mass, predicts mortality in critically ill patients. J Thorac Dis. 2016 May;8(5):E305-11. doi: 10.21037/jtd.2016.03.62.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 27162688 (View on PubMed)

Sahin Tutak A, Aydin H, Findikli HA. Prognostic significance of low basal serum creatinine levels in internal intensive care unit patients. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2023 Jan;27(2):592-600. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202301_31060.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 36734702 (View on PubMed)

Cartin-Ceba R, Afessa B, Gajic O. Low baseline serum creatinine concentration predicts mortality in critically ill patients independent of body mass index. Crit Care Med. 2007 Oct;35(10):2420-3. doi: 10.1097/01.ccm.0000281856.78526.f4.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Bartholomae E, Knurick J, Johnston CS. Serum creatinine as an indicator of lean body mass in vegetarians and omnivores. Front Nutr. 2022 Sep 16;9:996541. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.996541. eCollection 2022.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 36185683 (View on PubMed)

Fredriksson K, Hammarqvist F, Strigard K, Hultenby K, Ljungqvist O, Wernerman J, Rooyackers O. Derangements in mitochondrial metabolism in intercostal and leg muscle of critically ill patients with sepsis-induced multiple organ failure. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Nov;291(5):E1044-50. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00218.2006. Epub 2006 Jun 27.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16803854 (View on PubMed)

Klawitter F, Ehler J, Bajorat R, Patejdl R. Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Intensive Care Unit-Acquired Weakness and Critical Illness Myopathy: A Narrative Review. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Mar 14;24(6):5516. doi: 10.3390/ijms24065516.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 36982590 (View on PubMed)

Jiroutkova K, Krajcova A, Ziak J, Fric M, Waldauf P, Dzupa V, Gojda J, Nemcova-Furstova V, Kovar J, Elkalaf M, Trnka J, Duska F. Mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle of patients with protracted critical illness and ICU-acquired weakness. Crit Care. 2015 Dec 24;19:448. doi: 10.1186/s13054-015-1160-x.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26699134 (View on PubMed)

Yamamoto N, Tojo K, Mihara T, Maeda R, Sugiura Y, Goto T. Creatinine production rate is an integrative indicator to monitor muscle status in critically ill patients. Crit Care. 2025 Jan 14;29(1):23. doi: 10.1186/s13054-024-05222-5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 39810218 (View on PubMed)

Lieu C, Anderson R. Serum creatinine: why lower may not be better. Crit Care Med. 2007 Oct;35(10):2458-9. doi: 10.1097/01.CCM.0000284738.81354.FC. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17885392 (View on PubMed)

Heimburger O, Stenvinkel P, Barany P. The enigma of decreased creatinine generation in acute kidney injury. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2012 Nov;27(11):3973-4. doi: 10.1093/ndt/gfs459. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23144066 (View on PubMed)

Assy N, Kayal M, Mejirisky Y, Gorenberg M, Hussein O, Schlesinger S. The changes in renal function after a single dose of intravenous furosemide in patients with compensated liver cirrhosis. BMC Gastroenterol. 2006 Nov 29;6:39. doi: 10.1186/1471-230X-6-39.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17134488 (View on PubMed)

Puthucheary ZA, Rawal J, McPhail M, Connolly B, Ratnayake G, Chan P, Hopkinson NS, Phadke R, Dew T, Sidhu PS, Velloso C, Seymour J, Agley CC, Selby A, Limb M, Edwards LM, Smith K, Rowlerson A, Rennie MJ, Moxham J, Harridge SD, Hart N, Montgomery HE. Acute skeletal muscle wasting in critical illness. JAMA. 2013 Oct 16;310(15):1591-600. doi: 10.1001/jama.2013.278481.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24108501 (View on PubMed)

Kim SW, Jung HW, Kim CH, Kim KI, Chin HJ, Lee H. A New Equation to Estimate Muscle Mass from Creatinine and Cystatin C. PLoS One. 2016 Feb 5;11(2):e0148495. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148495. eCollection 2016.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26849842 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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KreaTINKA-2025

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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