Efficacy and safety of ketamine for the treatment of depressive symptoms in palliative care: A systematic review.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Ketamine has a fast onset of action that may offer a paradigm change for depression management at the end of life. We aimed to synthesize evidence regarding the safety and efficacy of ketamine in depression treatment within a broad palliative care concept.

Methods

We searched seven databases and included studies on the safety and efficacy of ketamine for depression treatment in patients diagnosed with any life-threatening disease. We also conducted a narrative review of the evidence.

Results

Among 2,252 screened titles and abstracts, we included 32 studies in our final synthesis: 14 case reports, two case series, two quasi-experimental studies, and seven randomized clinical trials (RCTs), as well as data from three unpublished clinical trials and seven case

SUBMITTER: Barbosa MG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10154013 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature