Better Evidence for Selecting Transplant Fluids

Summary

End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is a significant, expensive health problem. Kidney transplantation improves survival, quality of life, and is much cheaper than dialysis treatment for ESKD. However sometimes kidney transplants from a deceased donor function poorly after surgery, and a period of continued dialysis is needed, a condition known as delayed graft function (DGF). In addition to complicating recovery, DGF can adversely affect long-term kidney function and the health of the recipient. Intravenous fluids given during and after transplantation (usually 0.9% sodium chloride or saline) are critical to preserve kidney transplant function, but there is evidence that 0.9% saline may not be the safest fluid to use due to its high chloride content. BEST Fluids is a randomised controlled trial that aims to find out whether using a balanced low-chloride solution - Plasma-Lyte 148® - as an alternative to normal saline in deceased donor kidney transplantation, will improve kidney transplant function, reduce the impact of DGF, and improve long-term outcomes for patients.

Timeline

Start

2018-01-26

Primary completion

2021-07-29

Completion

2022-05-03

Publications

• Collins MG, Fahim MA, Pascoe EM, Hawley CM, Johnson DW, Varghese J, Hickey LE, Clayton PA, Dansie KB, McConnochie RC, Vergara LA, Kiriwandeniya C, Reidlinger D, Mount PF, Weinberg L, McArthur CJ, Coates PT, Endre ZH, Goodman D, Howard K, Howell M, Jamboti JS, Kanellis J, Laurence JM, Lim WH, McTaggart SJ, O'Connell PJ, Pilmore HL, Wong G, Chadban SJ; BEST-Fluids Investigators; Australasian Kidney Trials Network. Balanced crystalloid solution versus saline in deceased donor kidney transplantation (BEST-Fluids): a pragmatic, double-blind, randomised, controlled trial. Lancet. 2023 Jul 8;402(10396):105-117. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00642-6. Epub 2023 Jun 18.
• Pascoe EM, Chadban SJ, Fahim MA, Hawley CM, Johnson DW, Collins MG; BEST-fluids Investigators and the Australasian Kidney Trials Network. Statistical analysis plan for Better Evidence for Selecting Transplant Fluids (BEST-Fluids): a randomised controlled trial of the effect of intravenous fluid therapy with balanced crystalloid versus saline on the incidence of delayed graft function in deceased donor kidney transplantation. Trials. 2022 Jan 18;23(1):52. doi: 10.1186/s13063-021-05989-w.
• Collins MG, Fahim MA, Pascoe EM, Dansie KB, Hawley CM, Clayton PA, Howard K, Johnson DW, McArthur CJ, McConnochie RC, Mount PF, Reidlinger D, Robison L, Varghese J, Vergara LA, Weinberg L, Chadban SJ; BEST-Fluids Investigators and the Australasian Kidney Trials Network. Study Protocol for Better Evidence for Selecting Transplant Fluids (BEST-Fluids): a pragmatic, registry-based, multi-center, double-blind, randomized controlled trial evaluating the effect of intravenous fluid therapy with Plasma-Lyte 148 versus 0.9% saline on delayed graft function in deceased donor kidney transplantation. Trials. 2020 May 25;21(1):428. doi: 10.1186/s13063-020-04359-2.

Drugs

Indications