Trial to assess Acute Kidney Injury risk prediction technology starts at MFT
A pioneering clinical trial of new technology to predict the risk of patients developing Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) has begun at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT).
The STABILITY UO (Urine output) clinical risk prediction technology has been developed by Manchester start-up, Rinicare, and recently completed a successful pilot at in the Cardiothoracic Critical Care Unit at Wythenshawe Hospital, part of MFT.
STABILITY UO uses routinely taken physiological measurements and advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms to predict the future probability of patients having low urine output – in time for clinicians to take preventive action to reduce their risk of developing AKI. Multiple hours of low urine output, also known as oliguria, is a component of AKI.
The trial will recruit approximately 362 patients aged 18 and over who present to MFT for non-emergency cardiac surgery, and will assess whether using STABILITY UO reduces the number of oliguria events.
Consultant Cardiac Anaesthetist and Principal Investigator for the trial, Dr Roberta Mosca, said: “Wythenshawe Hospital has a good reputation for the assessment of promising new digital technology that may benefit patients and improve clinical workflows.
We are looking forward to providing high quality evidence of the degree to which STABILITY UO can help improve patient safety through reduced complications after heart surgery.
Rinicare’s Managing Director, Dr Anthony Holmes, commented: “Clinical risk prediction technology is a powerful new tool to help clinicians accurately assess patients’ risk profiles, giving them the ability to give treatment more quickly and prevent patients from deteriorating.
“The feedback from both clinicians and nursing staff from our pilot of STABILITY UO at Wythenshawe Hospital has been overwhelmingly positive so far, and we look forward to seeing more detailed results on the effect of STABILITY UO on patient outcomes from this trial.
“It is rare for clinical risk prediction technology to undergo clinical trials of this calibre and we hope that the results from this study will help drive the adoption of STABILITY UO across the NHS and further afield.”
Oliguria is a component of AKI that affects up to a half of patients following cardiac surgery. It is associated with an increased risk of death and prolonged stay in critical care after surgery.
In addition to the patient impact, AKI is estimated to cost the NHS £1.02 billion per year. Studies have shown that through optimised and timely treatment, rates of AKI after cardiac surgery can be reduced by up to 50 percent.
Dr Holmes added: “Current technology solutions for detecting AKI risk are largely static and based on generic thresholds, only allowing clinicians to react to issues that have already occurred.
Patient deterioration can sometimes be missed, which is particularly important in critically ill patients and those after major surgery. We are confident that our solutions will make a difference to these vulnerable patients and are excited to be working with Wythenshawe Hospital on this trial.
Developed by a clinically-led team at Rinicare, STABILITY UO has been designed to dynamically model oliguria risk and to use real-time data analysis to alert clinicians to potential deterioration. This randomised control trial will assess to what extent the advanced warnings provided by STABILITY UO lead to improved patient outcomes.
