How breathing machines can harm the kidneys
Official title: Mechanisms of acute kidney injury due to mechanical ventilation
Funded at Veterans Medical Research Fdn/san Diego · NIH-11349714 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Doctors will look at how ventilators change kidney filtering and salt handling in people who are critically ill to help prevent kidney damage.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Veterans Medical Research Fdn/san Diego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Diego, United States) |
| Project start | May 15, 2024 |
| Project end | February 28, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $450,458 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK136756-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11349714 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who are critically ill and require mechanical ventilation, especially adults at risk for acute kidney injury, are the population most directly relevant to this research.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not on mechanical ventilation or whose kidney problems are due to chronic disease rather than being triggered by ventilators are less likely to benefit directly from this work.
What this research studies
A team of lung and kidney doctors will use detailed lab work and animal models to see how mechanical ventilation changes kidney blood flow, filtration, and tubule function. They plan to perform the first thorough renal micropuncture measurements during mechanical ventilation to track immediate drops in glomerular filtration rate and changes in sodium handling. The experiments will link these functional shifts to signs of cell injury and death in kidney tissue. Results will point to biological pathways that could become targets for future treatments to protect kidneys during ventilation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal targets for therapies that prevent or reduce kidney injury in people on ventilators and lower associated death rates.
How similar studies have gone: Past animal studies have shown ventilators can reduce kidney filtration and cause sodium retention, but using renal micropuncture during ventilation is a novel and more detailed approach.
Where this research is happening
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Veterans Medical Research Fdn/san Diego
San Diego, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hepokoski, Mark Lawrence — Veterans Medical Research Fdn/san Diego
- Study coordinator: Hepokoski, Mark Lawrence
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Understanding how mechanical ventilation causes kidney injury
This study is looking at how using a breathing machine for very sick patients might affect their kidneys and cause problems, with the goal of finding ways to protect kidney health in those who need this treatment.
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SEAK Alliance: Improving Care for AKI Patients in the Southeast
A national, patient-centered effort to improve post-hospital care for people who had acute kidney injury in the Southeast.
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AKI-related delirium after heart surgery
This grant funds research to understand why some people develop delirium after heart surgery when they also have acute kidney injury.
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Better ways to identify types of sudden kidney injury in U.S. Veterans
Researchers are looking for genetic and health patterns that define different types of sudden severe kidney injury in Veterans to help guide future care.
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Neuroimmune control of kidney injury using noninvasive ultrasound
A new approach uses targeted ultrasound to gently stimulate nerves and immune signals to help the kidney recover after injury.
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Advancing Acute Respiratory Infection Care for Kids on Home Ventilators
This grant aims to improve how doctors and families manage acute respiratory infections in children who rely on invasive long-term home ventilation.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.