Cui 2016.

Study characteristics
Methods	Study characteristics Study design: parallel RCT Study duration: March 2011 to June 2014 Study follow‐up: 28 weeks
Participants	Baseline characteristics Country: China Setting: dialysis centre (1 site) Inclusion criteria: patients undergoing HD with renal anaemia; stable disease conditions for at least 1 month; HD 2 or 3 times/week; Hb < 90 g/L; serum ferritin level < 200 ng/mL, or transferrin saturation < 20% Randomised number (intervention/control): 78/78 Dialysis modality: HD Mean age ± SD (years): intervention group (49.46 ± 10.13); control group (49.57 ± 9.97) Sex (M/F): intervention group (40/38); control group (42/36) Dialysis duration range (months): intervention group (17.6 to 43.3); control group (18.2 to 43.6) Exclusion criteria: suffered from other severe complications or endocrine diseases or who had been treated with chalybeate
Interventions	Intervention group L‐carnitine (IV): 1000 mg at each dialysis session for 28 weeks Control group Placebo Co‐interventions EPO + iron saccharate
Outcomes	Outcomes relevant to this review Anaemia‐related markers: Hb, HCT, EPO dose
Notes	Funding source: not reported
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Low risk	Quote: "using the random number table method"
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Insufficient information to permit judgement
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias)	High risk	Open‐label study
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) Anaemia‐related markers	Low risk	The outcome measurement is not likely to be influenced by lack of blinding
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) Anaemia‐related markers	Low risk	All patient outcome data reported
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Unclear risk	The study protocol is not available
Other bias	Unclear risk	Insufficient information to permit judgement