How breathing machines can harm the kidneys
Mechanisms of acute kidney injury due to mechanical ventilation
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 ID | NIH-11349714 on NIH RePORTER |
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.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: 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.
Not a fit: 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.
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 performed: 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
San Diego, United States
- 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
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 below.