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Clinical Trials/NCT06642597
NCT06642597
Recruiting
Not Applicable

An International, Multi-centre, Randomised Controlled Trial Co-designed With Consumers With Lived Experience of Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) to Determine the Optimal Approach to Starting Patients With Kidney Failure on PD

The University of Queensland6 sites in 4 countries224 target enrollmentSeptember 19, 2025

Overview

Phase
Not Applicable
Intervention
Incremental PD
Conditions
Peritoneal Dialysis (PD)
Sponsor
The University of Queensland
Enrollment
224
Locations
6
Primary Endpoint
Quality of Life (QoL)
Status
Recruiting
Last Updated
last month

Overview

Brief Summary

Kidney failure is fatal without dialysis. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) completed at home offers greater flexibility and autonomy for patients . However, PD is often prescribed for 24 hours/day, 7 days/week for every patient starting dialysis. This practice is not evidence-informed, may be unnecessary and potentially harmful. The STEP-PD trial aims to determine the optimal approach to commencing patients on PD through starting at low dose PD and incrementing over time.

Detailed Description

The STEP-PD study is an investigator-initiated, pragmatic, international, multicentre, prospective, adaptive, randomised, open-label, parallel group, non-inferiority trial led by an international multi-disciplinary team of clinician scientists, nephrologists, consumers, social scientists, trialists, health economists, dialysis nurses, statisticians, and registry experts. The STEP-PD trial is co-designed with consumers with lived experience of peritoneal dialysis (PD) to determine the optimal approach to starting patients with kidney failure on PD. Specifically, this trial will test the hypothesis that, compared with full dose PD, starting patients on incremental start PD preserves symptom burden related quality of life (QOL), reduces dialysis burden, is safe, is more environmentally sustainable and costs less for patients, the community and the healthcare system. The STEP-PD trial has the potential to transform and personalise the treatment of kidney failure globally by providing definitive evidence on the patient-prioritised question regarding the effectiveness and safety of incremental start PD, particularly in relation to the patient-critical outcome of symptom burden-related QOL. Favourable results would lead to a paradigm shift in how patients are started on PD, thereby mitigating unnecessarily burdensome, expensive, and possibly harmful treatment.

Registry
clinicaltrials.gov
Start Date
September 19, 2025
End Date
September 30, 2029
Last Updated
last month
Study Type
Interventional
Study Design
Parallel
Sex
All

Investigators

Responsible Party
Sponsor

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

  • adults (≥18 years) commencing PD as their first dialysis therapy (and been on dialysis for \<1 month)
  • able to give informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

  • urine output \<0.5L/day
  • previous kidney transplant
  • unlikely to be on dialysis for ≥1 year.
  • known or planned pregnancy during the trial

Arms & Interventions

Incremental PD

Incremental PD: Commence PD using goal-directed PD prescription ≤14 exchanges/week for continuous ambulatory PD (CAPD) or ≤21 exchanges/week for automated PD (APD) with no day dwell until an indication for increase in the PD dose (trigger point) is reached.

Intervention: Incremental PD

Full dose PD

Full dose PD: Commence with 24 hours, 7 days/week PD (i.e., CAPD ≥28 exchanges/week or APD (overnight) with day dwell (i.e., no dry abdomen)).

Intervention: Full dose PD

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Quality of Life (QoL)

Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months

Symptom burden-related QOL 6 months after dialysis start, assessed by the Symptoms and Problems of Kidney Disease (SPKD) component of KDQOL-36 (0 to 100; worst to best).

Secondary Outcomes

  • Death(Enrollment to 18 months)
  • Major cardiovascular event(Enrollment to 18 months)
  • Peritonitis(Enrollment to 18 months)
  • Non-elective hospitalisations(Enrollment to 18 months)
  • Hospitalisations(Enrollment to 18 months)
  • Quality of Life (QOL) and life participation(Enrollment to 18 months)
  • Serious adverse event(Enrollment to 18 months)
  • Residual Kidney Function (RKF)(From enrollment to 3, 6, 9, 12 and 18 months)
  • Anuria(From enrollment to 3, 6, 9, 12 and 18 months)

Study Sites (6)

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