The Practicality and Utility of measured vs estimated GFR in adCKD
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The practicality and utility of estimated vs measured glomerular filtration rate (renal function) in advanced chronic kidney disease, whether treated with dialysis or not: Can better techniques be used to predict the onset of the uraemic syndrome and guide dialysis requirements.
IRAS ID
343964
Contact name
Thomas Lindsay
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Manchester Foundation trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The level of toxins in the blood is routinely used to estimate kidney function. These estimates are inaccurate when kidney function is very low, and do not correlate well with the need to start dialysis. Furthermore, in order to measure kidney function in those who have already started on dialysis, it is necessary to instead perform prolonged urinary collections which are inconvenient and prone to error.
By improving how we measure kidney function in these groups, we would be able to improve patient care. In those approaching dialysis we could better predict when access for dialysis is required, or when to start the process towards kidney transplantation. For patients already on dialysis, we could better identify and monitor those with preserved kidney function and so offer a more individual prescription with less dialysis.
We aim to assess whether measuring, as opposed to estimating, kidney function is possible and pragmatic. We will inject a small volume of inert solution and measure how quickly the kidneys clear it from the blood. We will simultaneously measure other markers in the blood and urine to assess if these can better estimate kidney function than our current methods.
All adult patients who are either approaching the need to start dialysis, or are established on dialysis and pass >100ml of urine per day will be eligible for recruitment. The study will be performed in outpatient clinics and dialysis units in Greater Manchester. Participants will have blood and urine samples collected. They will have a small injection and be asked to perform a series of finger prick blood samples by themselves at home over the following 24 hours. Some participants will be asked to do this up to three times. They will be asked to give feedback on their experience. The study is expected to last 6-12 months.REC name
North East - York Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/NE/0176
Date of REC Opinion
15 Sep 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion