Effect of magnesium sulfate infusion rate on magnesium retention in critically ill patients
NCT ID NCT01426165
First seen Sep 10, 2026 · Last updated Sep 10, 2026
Summary
Hypomagnesemia (low magnesium) is an electrolyte imbalance commonly found in up to 65% of critically ill patients. Possible consequences of hypomagnesemia include neuromuscular and neurologic dysfunction, heart arrhythmias, and alterations in other electrolytes. Data has shown that critically ill patients with hypomagnesemia have a significantly higher mortality rate than patients with a normal magnesium level. The most simple and commonly used test to diagnose hypomagnesemia is a serum magnesium level. Based on the magnesium level and symptoms of hypomagnesemia, patients may be replaced with either oral or intravenous (IV) magnesium. When replacing magnesium via the IV route, approximately half of the dose is retained by the body while the remainder is excreted in the urine. The low retention rate is due to the slow uptake of magnesium by cells and decreased magnesium reabsorption by the kidneys in response to the delivery of a large concentration of magnesium. The purpose of this study is to determine whether an eight hour compared to a four hour infusion of IV magnesium sulfate results in a greater retention of the magnesium dose.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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5 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Apr 2011
- Finished
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Dec 2012
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: Medicine ICU service patients * \> 18 years old with * hypomagnesemia defined by a serum magnesium level \< 2 mg/dL and the clinical decision by the rounding team to replace with parenteral magnesium sulfate * must have an available IV line for magnesium infusion that may be used for up to 8 hours * must have a Foley catheter Exclusion Criteria: * renal dysfunction defined by an estimated creatinine clearance (CrCl) \< 30 mL/min or have had an average of \< 0.5 mL/kg/hr of urine output over the previous 12 hours before the magnesium infusion is to begin * Subjects must not have received a loop diuretic within the 12 hours prior to magnesium replacement and will further be excluded if they receive these medications during the magnesium replacement and urine collection time period * Subjects with ostomies or acute diarrhea will be excluded due to the possibility of high gastrointestinal magnesium loss * Subjects will be excluded if they have a physician order for magnesium sulfate to be infused over a specified time period * If subjects are expected to be moved out of the ICU within the next 24 hours, they will not be considered for randomization due to potential lack of appropriate urine magnesium collection and follow up * Each subject may only be enrolled in the study for one occurrence of hypomagnesemia
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Charleston Area Medical Center
Charleston, West Virginia, 25301, United States