Sodium bicarbonate to correct metabolic acidosis in kidney transplant is unnecessary and elimination could reduce pill count. The new finding fills an important information gap, say editorialists.
In adult kidney transplant recipients, correction of metabolic acidosis by treatment
with sodium bicarbonate over 2 years did not affect the decline in estimated GFR.
Thus, treatment with sodium bicarbonate should not be generally recommended to preserve
estimated GFR (a surrogate marker for graft function) in kidney transplant recipients
with chronic kidney disease who have metabolic acidosis.