Impact of diuretic use on Cardiovascular Outcomes and Mortality in Patients on Maintenance Hemodialysis Who Have Residual Renal Function
When patients start hemodialysis, they often maintain some urine output, which can be lost with time on dialysis. However, ongoing urine output is associated with improved cardiovascular outcomes and lower mortality, possibly due to improved control of extracellular fluid expansion, or fluid overload. A potential method that could control fluid overload is the use of diuretic medications to maintain urine output, but this has not been tested in a large scale randomized controlled trial.
To address this knowledge gap, Dr. Melissa Schorr proposed a large-scale randomized controlled trial testing different doses of diuretic medications to determine the optimal dose for persons on hemodialysis to control fluid overload and maintain a urine output of 200cc or more per day. The trial will focus on primary outcomes of reduced adverse cardiac events and all-cause mortality.
PI: Dr. Melissa Schorr
Dr. Melissa Schorr is a nephrologist at London Health Sciences Centre, Fellow in the Clinician Investigator Program (CIP) at Western University, and PhD Candidate at McMaster University in the Health Research Methodology program. She received her BSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Calgary and her medical degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. She completed her Internal Medicine residency and Nephrology fellowship at Western University.
Most of her research focuses on pragmatic clinical trials in patients undergoing hemodialysis and has resulted in a portfolio of influential peer-reviewed publications in this focus area, including research pursuits that have been supported by three years of CIP funding and a 2-year PSI Research Trainee Fellowship.
Dr. Schorr has delivered numerous invited lectures regarding her research findings, including for the America Society of Nephrology Kidney Week 2019, the Canadian Society of Nephrology Annual Meeting 2018, and others