The AminoECMO Pilot Trial
Starting soon · Phase 2 · Has a placebo group
Conditions studied: Acute Kidney Injury
In brief
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious problem for patients in intensive care, especially those on life-support machines like ECMO (which helps the heart and lungs). More than half of these patients develop severe kidney problems that often require dialysis, and this greatly increases the risk of poor outcomes. Doctors try to prevent AKI by treating the underlying illness, avoiding kidney-harming drugs, and carefully managing fluids. But these methods are mostly supportive - they don't actively improve kidney function. Studies in surgical patients (especially heart and urology operations) show that giving amino acids before surgery can reduce the chance of developing AKI. A major clinical trial even found that this approach significantly lowered AKI rates in heart surgery patients. Amino acids (the building blocks of protein) seem to boost kidney performance. When given through a drip or feeding tube, they increase blood flow to the kidneys and may "wake up" unused kidney capacity - a concept called "functional renal reserve." It's not yet clear whether amino acids help critically ill patients on ECMO. More research is needed to see if this promising strategy can improve kidney function and outcomes in the sickest patients.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT07438262
- Run by
- Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre
- People needed
- 40
- Starts
- 2026-02-01
- Expected to finish
- 2027-11-30
- Last updated by the study team
- 2026-02-27
Who can join
Age: 18 and older, up to 65. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.
You may qualify if…
- Aged ≥18 years
- Enrolled in the EXCEL Registry
You may not qualify if…
- Urea level ≥30 mmol/L
- Requirement for renal replacement therapy
- Chronic hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis
- ECMO for ≥24 hours
- Pre-admission CKD with an eGFR <30 ml/min
- Previous enrolment in this study
- Pregnant or Lactating
- Known contraindication to AA infusion
- ECMO expected to cease ≤24 hours
- Expected to be transferred to another hospital ≤24 hours
- Treating clinical team deems study is not in the patient's best interest
Where it is running
- Alfred Hospital — Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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