Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42172504›Full record

Trial reportHepatology communications2026

Midodrine versus placebo in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure with ascites-A randomized trial (MIDAS trial).

Anand V Kulkarni, Shantan Venishetty, Sridevi Prasanna, Sowmya Iyengar, Sai V Sarada, Madhumita Premkumar, Mithun Sharma, Manasa Alla, Padaki Nagaraja Rao, Duvvur N Reddy and 1 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Hepatology communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Anand V KulkarniDepartment of Hepatology, AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad, India.
Shantan VenishettyDepartment of Hepatology, AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad, India.
Sridevi PrasannaDepartment of Hepatology, AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad, India.
Sowmya IyengarDepartment of Hepatology, AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad, India.
Sai V SaradaDepartment of Biostatistics, AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad, India.
Madhumita PremkumarDepartment of Hepatology, PGIMER, Hyderabad, India.
Mithun SharmaDepartment of Hepatology, AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad, India.
Manasa AllaDepartment of Hepatology, AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad, India.
Padaki Nagaraja RaoDepartment of Hepatology, AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad, India.
Duvvur N ReddyDepartment of Hepatology, AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad, India.
K Rajender ReddyDepartment of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAscites is common in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) and can complicate the course of ACLF due to circulatory dysfunction and hemodynamic compromise. Oral midodrine has been variably reported to improve hemodynamics and reduce complications of ascites in patients with decompensated cirrhosis, but its role in patients with high MELD ACLF remains unknown, which we aimed to assess.

methodsIn this single-center, double-blind, randomized trial, patients with ACLF were assigned 1:1 to receive midodrine (5-7.5 mg tid) or a placebo for 30 days, alongside standard care. Transplant-free survival (TFS) at 1 month was the primary outcome, while secondary outcomes included TFS at 3 months, the proportion of patients achieving ascites control, changes in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and plasma renin activity at 1 month, the incidence of cirrhosis complications, and diuretic-related complications.

resultsOne hundred thirty patients with ACLF were enrolled. Midodrine use was not associated with improvement in TFS at 1 (HR, 0.99 [95% CI: 0.37-2.65]) and 3 months (HR, 0.93 [95% CI: 0.48-1.8]). Ascites control at day 30 (placebo: 9.2% [95% CI: 3.5-19] vs. midodrine: 20% [95% CI: 12.3-33.5]; p=0.08) and 90 (placebo: 44.6% [95% CI: 32.2-57.5] vs. midodrine: 53.8% [95% CI: 41-66.3]; p=0.29) was comparable. Midodrine increased the MAP (1.9 vs. 6.9 mm Hg; p=0.003) with an insignificant reduction in plasma renin activity levels (delta change: 0.22±1.6 vs. -1.6±2.2; p=0.09). Cirrhosis-related and diuretic-related complications were similar in both groups.

conclusionsMidodrine increases MAP in patients with ACLF and high MELD scores without TFS benefit and does not reduce the rate of ascites-related complications.

Indexed as

Acute-On-Chronic Liver FailureAscitesMidodrineVasoconstrictor AgentsAdultDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansIncidenceLiver CirrhosisLiver TransplantationMaleMiddle AgedReninSeverity of Illness IndexTreatment OutcomeMidodrineReninVasoconstrictor Agentsacute-on-chronic liver failurealbuminMIDASparacentesisvasoconstrictors

Identifiers

PMID42172504
PMCPMC13201049

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.