Bleeding Reduction in Acute and Chronic Kidney Patients Having Surgery (BRACKETS) Pilot Trial

Perioperative administration of TXA reduces bleeding risk in surgical patients. However, large clinical trials have excluded patients with advanced kidney disease, so the benefits remain uncertain in this population, and there is potential for harm. The benefit of desmopressin, which is purported to more directly address the defect of primary hemostasis believed important in severe kidney disease more directly than TXA, has not been examined in adequate randomized control trials (RCTs). Both medications are generic and have been available for many years. To convincingly test these medications in patients with severe kidney disease, large, global trials are required. This pilot-phase trial will 1) inform the feasibility and design of a large international trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TXA and desmopressin in patients with advanced kidney disease undergoing noncardiac surgery, 2) provide preliminary data regarding the efficacy and safety of TXA and desmopressin in people with advanced kidney disease having noncardiac surgery, and 3) provide pharmacokinetic data to inform dose selection.