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Could less dialysis be enough? study tests twice-weekly schedule for kidney patients

NCT ID NCT03874117

Disease control Sponsor: Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026

Summary

This study looked at whether people with kidney failure who still have some kidney function can do well with only two dialysis sessions per week instead of the usual three. Fifty-eight patients each tried both schedules for four weeks. Researchers measured quality of life, symptoms, and cognitive function to compare the two approaches.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
hemodialysis (twice weekly vs thrice weekly)
What this could lead to
If successful, this could show that some patients with remaining kidney function can safely dialyze less often, improving quality of life.
What could go wrong
This is a small, short-term study (58 patients, 4 weeks per schedule) and may not prove long-term safety or apply to all dialysis patients.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

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

58 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jul 2018

Finished

May 2025

Lead sponsor

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

18 to 85 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * patients on hemodialysis who have residual kidney function with residual urea clearance (Kru) \>2.5 mL/min. * been on hemodialysis for at least 3 months. * adherence to regular dialysis treatments. Exclusion Criteria: * inability to achieve adequate hemodialysis. * planned revision of hemodialysis vascular access. * hospitalized within the past 2 months.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

chronic kidney disease chronic renal failure syndrome kidney failure

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Hemodialysis Kidney failure, chronic

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Santa Clara Valley Medical Center

    San Jose, California, 95128, United States

  • Satellite HealthCare

    San Jose, California, 95128, United States

  • VA Palo Alto Health Care System

    Palo Alto, California, 94304, United States

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