CARNIDIAL 2012.

Study characteristics
Methods	Study characteristics Study design: parallel RCT Study duration: October 2006 to March 2010 Study follow‐up: 1 year
Participants	Baseline characteristics Country: France Setting: public hospital (1 site) Inclusion criteria: started long‐term HD < 6 months before the study started or afterwards; > 18 years Randomised number (intervention/control): 46/46 Dialysis modality: HD Mean age ± SD (years): intervention group (61 ± 18); control group (61 ± 15) Sex (M/F): not reported Mean dialysis duration ± SD (days): intervention group (38 ± 25); control group (40 ± 29) Exclusion criteria: pregnancy; cancer; expected life expectancy < 6 months; documented carnitine deficiency
Interventions	Intervention group L‐carnitine (IV): 1000 mg at each dialysis session for 1 year Control group Placebo
Outcomes	Outcomes relevant to this review QoL: SF‐36 Adverse events Anaemia‐related markers: EPO resistance index Death (any cause)
Notes	Other information Funding source: supported by a grant from the French Ministry of Health: CIRC 2005, P050316 The first author received honoraria from Gambro and Hoffmann‐La‐Roche in 2010
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Low risk	Quote: "randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio with a centralized randomization list stratified according to center"
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Low risk	Quote: "randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio with a centralized randomization list stratified according to center"
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias)	Low risk	Quote: "double‐blind placebo‐controlled" study
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) QoL	Low risk	Quote: "double‐blind placebo‐controlled" study
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) Adverse events	Low risk	Quote: "double‐blind placebo‐controlled" study
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) Anaemia‐related markers	Low risk	Quote: "double‐blind placebo‐controlled" study
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) Death	Low risk	Quote: "double‐blind placebo‐controlled" study
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) QoL	Unclear risk	Insufficient information to permit judgement
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) Adverse events	Low risk	All patient outcome data reported
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) Anaemia‐related markers	Low risk	Missing outcome data balanced in numbers across intervention groups
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) Death	Low risk	All patient outcome data reported
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	Pre‐specified outcomes (of interest to this review) were reported
Other bias	High risk	Funding source: supported by a grant from the French Ministry of Health, but Sigma‐Tau provided L‐carnitine and placebo without charge