Fagher 1985.

Study characteristics
Methods	Study characteristics Study design: parallel RCT Study duration: January 1982 to February 1983 Study follow‐up: 6 weeks
Participants	Baseline characteristics Country: Sweden Setting: university hospital (1 site) Inclusion criteria: clinically steady HD patients Randomised number (intervention/control): 14/14 Dialysis modality: HD Median age, range (years): intervention group (48, 28 to 65); control group (42, 24 to 62) Sex (M/F): intervention group (9/5); control group (8/6) Median dialysis duration, range (months): intervention group (37, 14 to 157); control group (35, 12 to 238) Exclusion criteria: on any drug treatment; had concomitant metabolic diseases
Interventions	Intervention group L‐carnitine (IV): 1000 mg at each dialysis session for 6 weeks Control group Placebo
Outcomes	Outcomes relevant to this review Myocardial function: ejection fraction
Notes	Funding source: Sigma‐Tau, Italy supplied L‐carnitine; grants from the Crafoord Foundation, Lund, Sweden, the Swedish Medical Society and the Swedish Medical Research Council
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Study was described as randomised; method of randomisation was not reported
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Insufficient information to permit judgement
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias)	Low risk	Quote: "double‐blind placebo‐controlled" study
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) Myocardial function	Unclear risk	Insufficient information to permit judgement
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) Myocardial function	Low risk	No missing outcome data
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Unclear risk	The study protocol is not available
Other bias	High risk	Funding source was not commercial funding, but Sigma‐Tau, Italy supplied L‐carnitine