Data from randomized controlled trials show that extended daily dialysis and continuous renal replacement therapy for acute kidney injury (AKI) are associated with similar outcomes, according to the authors of a recently published meta-analysis.

Extended daily dialysis (EDD) was associated with decreased mortality compared with continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in observational studies, but such studies are potentially subject to allocation or selection bias, researchers reported online ahead of print in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.

A team led by Rinaldo Bellomo, MD, PhD, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia, analyzed data from 17 studies: 7 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 10 observational studies. The 17 studies included 634 patients undergoing EDD and 574 undergoing CRRT.

RCTs revealed no significant difference in the risk of death between EDD and CRRT, but observational studies show that EDD was associated with a 16% decreased relative risk of mortality compared with CRRT.

Both the RCTs and observation studies demonstrated no significant difference between the modalities with respect to kidney recovery, fluid removal, length of stay in the intensive care unit, and laboratory findings (serum urea, serum creatinine, and serum phosphate).

The investigators stated that, to their knowledge, their study is the first to systematically evaluate the effect of EDD versus CRRT on patients with AKI.

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