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Trial to Define the Benefits and Harms of Deceased Donor Kidney Procurement Biopsies

Pilot Randomized Trial to Define the Benefits and Harms of Deceased Donor Kidney Procurement Biopsies

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03837522
Enrollment
12
Registered
2019-02-12
Start date
2019-09-17
Completion date
2023-02-04
Last updated
2023-03-30

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Kidney Transplant, Renal Transplant

Keywords

Biopsy, Deceased kidney donation, Kidney transplantation

Brief summary

The purpose of this research study is to compare the impact of the availability of biopsy results at the time of organ offers on the use and outcomes of kidneys from deceased donors.

Detailed description

Randomization of biopsy processing will be performed at the level of the deceased donor. If the participant agrees to be in this study and signs the informed consent, at the time that a kidney is accepted for them, the accepted deceased donor will be randomized, like a flip of a coin, to one of two groups. * Group 1: biopsies will be processed immediately (routine frozen section) and results will be available to clinical teams at the time of the organ offers. Frozen section refers to a process where tissue from the biopsy sample is prepared by freezing and then slicing the tissue sample. Importantly, it can be done in about 15 to 20 minutes. Frozen sections are done when an immediate answer is needed; however, the quality of the sample is not always optimal. * Group 2: biopsies will be processed using permanent sections - these results will not be available until after the organ is transplanted. Permanent section refers to a process where tissue from the biopsy sample is prepared by placing the tissue sample in a fixative, called formalin, to preserve the tissue, processing it through other additional solutions, and then placing it in paraffin wax. After the wax hardens, the tissue is cut into very thin slices, which are placed on slides and stained. This process normally takes several days. There is a 50/50 chance that the donor will be randomized to immediate biopsy processing by frozen section, versus permanent processing that yields results after transplant. If for any reason their surgeon feels that it would not be safe to proceed without the biopsy result, he or she will have the ability to receive the results of the biopsy before the transplant. The study team will record any episodes of this occurrence.

Interventions

DIAGNOSTIC_TESTProcurement Biopsy: Frozen section

Frozen sections are prepared by freezing and slicing the tissue sample; importantly, they can be done in about 15 to 20 minutes. Frozen sections are done when an immediate answer is needed, but do not provide optimal quality.

DIAGNOSTIC_TESTProcurement Biopsy: Permanent section

Permanent sections are prepared by placing the tissue in fixative (usually formalin) to preserve the tissue, processing it through additional solutions, and then placing it in paraffin wax. After the wax has hardened, the tissue is cut into very thin slices, which are placed on slides and stained. The process normally takes several days.

Sponsors

Mid-America Transplant
CollaboratorOTHER
Washington University School of Medicine
CollaboratorOTHER
St. Louis University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Kidney transplant candidate * On waitlist for kidney transplant at the time of informed consent at one of the participating sites * Age 18 or older * Willing and able to provide informed consent for participation in the study

Exclusion criteria

* Unable or unwilling to provide informed consent to participate in the study * Younger than 18 years old * Not on waitlist for kidney transplant at the time of informed consent at one of the participating centers * Candidates for or recipients of multi-organ transplants (kidney along with another solid organ)

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
risk-adjusted kidney yield3 yearsper kidney donor with an immediate vs delayed procurement biopsy processing (this will serve as the primary organ utilization metric, and is the adjusted converse of organ discard)

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Life years for transplant recipients3 yearsLife years or survival for candidates after offer of kidney with an immediate vs delayed procurement biopsy processing
Number of participants with delayed graft function3 yearsNumber of participants with delayed graft function after transplant of kidney with an immediate vs delayed procurement biopsy processing
Number of participants with graft survival3 yearsNumber of participants with graft survival after transplant of kidney with an immediate vs delayed procurement biopsy processing
Cold ischemia time3 yearsCold ischemia time for kidneys transplanted after immediate vs delayed procurement biopsy processing
Patient survival after transplant3 yearsPatient survival after transplant of kidney with an immediate vs delayed procurement biopsy processing

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026