The safety of mineralocorticoid antagonists in maintenance hemodialysis patients: two steps forward

The Spin-D (Safety and Cardiovascular Efficacy of Spironolactone in Dialysis-Dependent End-Stage Renal Disease) and MiREnDa (Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists in End-Stage Renal Disease) trials taken together provide the reassuring demonstration that up to 25 mg/d spironolactone is reasonably safe, provided maintenance hemodialysis patients are properly monitored and investigators use a per-protocol therapeutic algorithm to manage hyperkalemia. These results should encourage and reassure the investigators of the 2 currently ongoing, large, international, major-outcome clinical trials, both of which are using spironolactone up to 25 mg/d: ACHIEVE (Aldosterone bloCkade for Health Improvement EValuation in End-stage Renal Disease trial; NCT03020303) and ALCHEMIST (ALdosterone antagonist Chronic HEModialysis Interventional Survival Trial; NCT01848639).