NCT07464431

Evaluating the Clinical Effectiveness of Sodium Bicarbonate for Critically Ill Patients With Metabolic Acidosis and Acute Kidney Injury

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 4
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 660 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Universität Münster · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The study investigates whether sodium bicarbonate is able to reduce the occurrence of major adverse kidney events on day 90 (MAKE90) in critically ill patients with metabolic acidosis and acute kidney injury (AKI). While its efficacy in this context has been suggested in a subgroup analysis of the BICAR-ICU trial it has not been confirmed in a double-blinded randomized controlled trial to date.

Detailed description

Each year \> 200 000 adult patients are admitted to intensive-care units (ICUs) in Germany of which around half develop acute kidney injury (AKI). AKI markedly increases morbidity, mortality, ICU/hospital length of stay, and the risk of progression to chronic kidney disease.2-4 Metabolic acidosis significantly raises hospital mortality, the need for kidney-replacement therapy (KRT), and the incidence of major adverse kidney events within 30 days (MAKE30).5,6 When AKI and metabolic acidosis coexist, 90-day mortality ranges from 53 % to 59 % (vs 26 % for AKI alone). Acidaemia depresses cardiovascular function through reduced myocardial contractility, impaired catecholamine responsiveness, hyperkalaemia, pulmonary vasoconstriction and arrhythmogenesis.7,8 Restoring extracellular pH is therefore biologically plausible as a strategy to improve organ perfusion and outcomes. Sodium bicarbonate is the most widely used buffer in clinical practice, yet high-quality evidence for its benefit in AKI with metabolic acidosis is lacking. To date, despite numerous calls for appropriately designed studies, there have only been two RCTs primarily addressing the effects of sodium bicarbonate in critically ill patients with severe acidosis.1,9 Due to methodological limitations (open-label study design, selection bias, risk of confounding) and lack in generalizability, the question on using sodium bicarbonate in critically ill patients with AKI and metabolic acidosis cannot be answered with certainty. The "Evaluating the clinical effectiveness of sodium bicarbonate for critically ill patients with metabolic acidosis and acute kidney injury" trial is a multicenter, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial. It is designed to determine whether treatment with intravenous 8.4% weight/volume (w/v) sodium bicarbonate is superior to placebo in terms of the composite endpoint major adverse kidney events (MAKE) at day 90 (composite of death from any cause, receipt of any KRT within the 90-day period, or persistent renal dysfunction (defined as a creatinine value ≥200% of the baseline value) at day 90) in critically ill patients with AKI (KDIGO stage 2 or 3) and metabolic acidosis. The findings of the ESCALATE trial are expected to have significant implications for clinical practice and patient outcomes, both in Germany and internationally, by providing high-quality evidence to guide the management of a critically ill population with high risk of mortality.

Conditions

• Acute Kidney Injury
• Metabolic Acidosis
• Critical Illness

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Sodium Bicarbonate 8.4% Solution for Injection	Intravenous infusion according to the treatment algorithm. Infusion starts with 100ml/hr until a pH of 7.30 - 7.35 and a Base Excess of ≥ 0 is reached. Then, infusion is reduced to 25ml/hr and maintained for 5 hours. After 5 hours, infusion is titrated to a pH of \>7.30.
DRUG	Balanced crystalloid solution	Intravenous infusion according to the treatment algorithm. Infusion starts with 100ml/hr until a pH of 7.30 - 7.35 and a Base Excess of ≥ 0 is reached. Then, infusion is reduced to 25ml/hr and maintained for 5 hours. After 5 hours, infusion is titrated to a pH of \>7.30.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-03-01
• Primary completion: 2028-06-01
• Completion: 2028-12-01
• First posted: 2026-03-11
• Last updated: 2026-03-11