Sodium Bicarbonate for Metabolic Acidosis in the ICU: Results of a Pilot Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial

Ary Serpa Neto, Tomoko Fujii, Mairead McNamara, James Moore, Paul J. Young, Sandra Peake, Michael Bailey, Carol Hodgson, Alisa M. Higgins, Emily J. See, Paul Secombe, Lewis Campbell, Meredith Young, Mikihiro Maeda, David Pilcher, Alistair Nichol, Adam Deane, Elisa Licari, Kyle White, Craig FrenchYahya Shehabi, Anthony Cross, Matthew Maiden, Umesh Kadam, Khaled El Khawas, Jamie Cooper, Rinaldo Bellomo, Andrew Udy

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Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To identify the best population, design of the intervention, and to assess between-group biochemical separation, in preparation for a future phase III trial. DESIGN: Investigator-initiated, parallel-group, pilot randomized double-blind trial. SETTING: Eight ICUs in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, with participants recruited from April 2021 to August 2022. PATIENTS: Thirty patients greater than or equal to 18 years, within 48 hours of admission to the ICU, receiving a vasopressor, and with metabolic acidosis (pH < 7.30, base excess [BE] <-4 mEq/L, and Paco2 45 mm Hg). INTERVENTIONS: Sodium bicarbonate or placebo (5% dextrose). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULT: The primary feasibility aim was to assess eligibility, recruitment rate, protocol compliance, and acid-base group separation. The primary clinical outcome was the number of hours alive and free of vasopressors on day 7. The recruitment rate and the enrollment-To-screening ratio were 1.9 patients per month and 0.13 patients, respectively. Time until BE correction (median difference,-45.86 [95% CI,-63.11 to-28.61] hr; p < 0.001) and pH correction (median difference,-10.69 [95% CI,-19.16 to-2.22] hr; p = 0.020) were shorter in the sodium bicarbonate group, and mean bicarbonate levels in the first 24 hours were higher (median difference, 6.50 [95% CI, 4.18 to 8.82] mmol/L; p < 0.001). Seven days after randomization, patients in the sodium bicarbonate and placebo group had a median of 132.2 (85.6-139.1) and 97.1 (69.3-132.4) hours alive and free of vasopressor, respectively (median difference, 35.07 [95% CI,-9.14 to 79.28]; p = 0.131). Recurrence of metabolic acidosis in the first 7 days of follow-up was lower in the sodium bicarbonate group (3 [20.0%] vs. 15 [100.0%]; p < 0.001). No adverse events were reported. CONCLUSIONS: The findings confirm the feasibility of a larger phase III sodium bicarbonate trial; eligibility criteria may require modification to facilitate recruitment.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)e221-e233
Number of pages13
JournalCritical Care Medicine
Volume51
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2023

Keywords

  • clinical trial
  • metabolic acidosis
  • shock
  • sodium bicarbonate
  • vasopressor

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