Acute kidney injury happens when the kidneys suddenly stop filtering waste from the blood, often during severe illness, surgery, or after certain medications. It affects up to 20% of hospitalized patients and can range from mild and reversible to requiring temporary dialysis. Treatment focuses on supporting the kidneys while they recover and preventing progression to chronic kidney disease.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing ways to prevent AKI in high-risk settings like cardiac surgery and sepsis, drugs that speed kidney recovery, and biomarkers that detect injury earlier than current blood tests. Researchers are studying mesenchymal stem cells, drugs that protect kidney cells from dying, and remote monitoring systems that catch injury before it becomes severe.
Early detection biomarkers
New blood and urine tests can detect kidney injury hours before creatinine rises, allowing earlier intervention. Several biomarkers are being validated in surgical and intensive care settings.
Cell therapy
Mesenchymal stem cells may help damaged kidneys regenerate and reduce inflammation. Early trials suggest they're safe and may speed recovery in people who develop AKI after surgery or sepsis.
What to know before you search
Eligibility depends on AKI severity (measured by creatinine rise or urine output), cause of injury, whether dialysis is needed, and time since kidney function started declining.
What types of trials are currently open
- Prevention trials — Testing drugs or fluid strategies to prevent AKI in people undergoing cardiac surgery, receiving contrast dye, or being treated for sepsis.
- Treatment trials — Testing medications that may speed kidney recovery or reduce the need for dialysis once AKI has occurred.
- Biomarker studies — Validating new blood or urine tests that detect kidney injury earlier than current methods, allowing faster treatment decisions.
- Device trials — Testing new dialysis machines, wearable artificial kidneys, and remote monitoring systems for people with severe AKI.
- Recovery studies — Following people after AKI to understand who develops chronic kidney disease and testing interventions to prevent it.
Recently added Acute Kidney Injury trials
COMPARISON OF FANS VS CONVENTIONAL URETERAL ACCESS SHEATH in RIRS on POSTOPERATIVE ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY
Kidney stone disease is a common condition, and retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) is a minimally invasive procedure frequently used to remove kidney stones. During RIRS, pressure inside the kidney can increase, which may contribute to temporary kidney injury. New aspiration-enabled access sheath systems have been developed to better control this pressure by continuously removing irrigation fluid during surgery. This study will compare aspiration and conventional access sheath systems to determine whether improved pressure control reduces early kidney injury. Blood and urine biomarkers (IL-18 and L-FABP), which can detect kidney damage earlier than standard kidney function tests, will be measured before and after surgery. The results may help identify surgical techniques that better protect kidney function and improve the safety of kidney stone treatment for patients.
Take a medication around the time of kidney tumor surgery
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if ursodeoxycholic acid, also called UDCA, can help protect kidney function in adults undergoing partial nephrectomy for kidney tumors. It will also learn about the safety of UDCA when used around the time of surgery. Before the randomized part of the study begins, the first 6 participants will receive UDCA in a safety run-in phase. These participants will be closely monitored for side effects, laboratory abnormalities, and other medical problems to assess the preliminary safety and tolerability of perioperative UDCA administration. If no unacceptable safety concerns are identified, the study will proceed to the randomized, placebo-controlled phase. The main questions this study aims to answer are: 1. Is perioperative UDCA administration safe in patients undergoing surgery for renal tumors? 2. Does UDCA lower the risk of acute kidney injury within 48 hours after partial nephrectomy? 3. Does UDCA reduce the decline in kidney function after surgery? 4. Does UDCA increase blood levels of UDCA and related bile acids during the perioperative period? 5. What medical problems do participants have when taking UDCA around the time of surgery? 6. Researchers will also evaluate whether UDCA affects urinary biomarkers of kidney injury. Researchers will compare UDCA with a placebo, a look-alike substance that contains no active drug, to see if UDCA can help protect the kidney from ischemia-reperfusion injury during partial nephrectomy. Participants will: 1. Take UDCA or a placebo three times a day from 2 days before surgery until 5 days after surgery. 2. Undergo partial nephrectomy as planned by their treating surgeon. 3. Have blood tests before and after surgery to check kidney function, liver function, and bile acid levels. 4. Participants will provide urine samples before and after surgery for the assessment of kidney injury biomarkers. 5. Be monitored for side effects, surgical complications, and other medical problems during hospitalization and follow-up.
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