Clinical Research Directory

Long-term Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Living Kidney Donors

The investigative team will conduct a population-based, matched retrospective cohort study across Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia using linked administrative healthcare databases to evaluate the long-term risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) among living kidney donors compared with matched healthy nondonors. Living kidney donors who donated between 1992 and 2024 will be included and matched 1:10 to a carefully selected population of nondonors based on key demographic and clinical characteristics. The primary outcome is a composite of cardiovascular death, hospital admission for myocardial infarction, or hospital admission for ischaemic stroke. Secondary outcomes will examine each component of the composite separately and all-cause mortality. The results will provide evidence to inform clinical guidelines, support informed decision-making for potential donors and recipients, and guide counselling by transplant clinicians.

Long-Term Risk of Kidney Stones in Living Kidney Donors

Using a population-based, matched, retrospective cohort approach, this study will evaluate the long-term risk of kidney stones among living kidney donors compared with matched healthy nondonors. Linked administrative health care databases from Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia will be used and living kidney donors who donated between 1992 and 2024 will be identified and matched 1:10 to a carefully selected population of healthy nondonors based on baseline characteristics. The primary outcome is a surgical intervention for kidney stones (including shockwave lithotripsy, ureteroscopy or percutaneous nephrolithotomy). The secondary outcome is a hospital encounter with a kidney stone diagnosis.

Fracture Risk in Living Kidney Donors

This study will be a population-based, matched retrospective cohort study using linked administrative healthcare databases from Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia to evaluate the long-term risk of fractures among living kidney donors compared with a healthy cohort of nondonors. Living kidney donors who donated between 1992 and 2024 will be included and matched 1:10 to a carefully selected population of nondonors based on key demographic and clinical characteristics. The primary outcome is a composite of incident hip, femoral shaft, humeral, wrist/forearm, and pelvic fractures. Secondary outcomes will examine each fracture site separately. The results will provide evidence to inform clinical guidelines, support informed decision-making for potential donors and recipients, and guide counselling by transplant clinicians.

Long-Term Risk of Gout in Living Kidney Donors

This population-based, matched, retrospective cohort study will evaluate the long-term risk of gout among living kidney donors compared with matched healthy nondonors, using linked administrative health care databases from Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Living kidney donors who donated between 1992 and 2024 will be identified and matched 1:10 to a carefully selected population of healthy nondonors based on baseline characteristics. The primary outcome is the first health care encounter with a diagnosis of gout. Secondary outcomes include receipt of a dispensed prescription for the composite of allopurinol, colchicine, or febuxostat, and each medication separately. The findings will provide evidence to inform clinical guidelines, support informed decision-making among potential donors and recipients, and guide counselling by transplant clinicians.

Transforming Curiosity Into Donation

This is a multi-step study that will first create a preliminary living donor drop-out risk index (LD-DROP) by retrospectively identifying factors that contribute to the discontinuation of living donor evaluation. Investigators will then validate the LD-DROP index by prospectively tracking the progress of a large group of individuals presenting for living kidney donor evaluation. In parallel, investigators will conduct focus groups with previous donors and individual qualitative interviews with potential living donors who vary by race, gender, and level of risk for drop-out, to explore barriers affecting their donation decision-making, and the most helpful interventions for overcoming these barriers. Finally, using data gathered from the LD-DROP index and individual interviews, investigators will pilot an intervention with potential donors identified to be at a modifiable high risk of drop-out.

Telemedicine to Support Living Kidney Donor Candidates

The goal of this feasibility clinical trial is to learn if telemedicine can be used to provide education and evaluation and counseling for people who are considering living kidney donation. The study will also learn how participants improve decision-making about living kidney donation. The main questions to answer are: * Is telemedicine a practical way to facilitate donor education and evaluation and counseling? * Does telemedicine shared decision making help improve donor candidate decision and engagement during the donor evaluation process? Researchers will compare standard care with a telemedicine care coordination approach. Participants will: \- Receive either standard care or telemedicine video visits to support shared decision making.

Assessment of Risks of Perinephric Fat Thickness to Adverse Renal Outcomes Post Donor Nephrectomy

The goal of this observational study is to learn if PRAT thickness is a marker of visceral obesity and its influence on donors' kidney function and blood pressure in living kidney donors. Population includes male/female, 18 years and up, living kidney donors scheduled for nephrectomy within 6 months. The main area it aims to help in, is future care managing blood pressure and obesity in living kidney transplant donors. Primary Hypothesis: We hypothesize that Perirenal Fat Thickness (PRAT) may exhibit expansion, remodeling and inflammation that can negatively affect renal outcomes in LKDs. Researchers will compare PRAT morphology and inflammation in LKDs with low and high PRAT thickness. We will also correlate PRAT thickness with renal outcomes including vascular remodeling, at the time of donation and worsening hypertension and inadequately increased compensatory GFR of the LKD at 4-6 months post-donation. Participants will be separated into one of two groups depending on their PRAT measurement and asked to give samples of their blood, perinephric fat, and urine as research samples. Clinically we will abstract data up to 12 months prior and 6 months after their nephrectomy that includes laboratory findings, CT measurements, vitals, exam data, demographics, medical history and current medications.