CHARTS 2008.

Methods	Study design: quasi‐RCT Study duration: December 2004 to June 2005 Duration of follow‐up: not reported
Participants	Setting: single centre Country: Canada Participants receiving chronic HD 3 times/week, 4 h/session, at the in‐centre HD Unit with cuffed catheters as primary vascular access; enrolled in the study until their catheters were removed or until the study completion date Number (patients/catheters): treatment group (32/32); control group (29/29) Mean age ± SD (years): treatment group (63 ± 16); control group (69 ± 15) Sex (M/F): treatment group (21/11); control group (14/15) Exclusion criteria: previously randomised to the study; AV fistula or AV graft was already in use at the time of the study; currently on antibiotics; unable or unwilling to give informed consent
Interventions	Treatment group Citrate: 4% Control group Heparin: 5000 U/mL
Outcomes	CRI Exit side Infection Local bleeding Systemic bleeding complication (epistaxis, fistula hematoma, prolonged fistula bleeding 30 min, hemarthrosis, gastrointestinal bleeding, haemoptysis, and intracerebral haemorrhage) Thrombocytopenia
Notes	Funding source: not reported
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	High risk	Participants were randomised according to their last name
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	High risk	No allocation concealment
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	High risk	This was an open‐label study
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	High risk	This was an open‐label study
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Low risk	All patient outcome data was reported
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	Describes the outcome according to protocol
Other bias	Unclear risk	Funding source not reported