Low-dose ketamine does not improve the speed of recovery from depression in electroconvulsive therapy: a randomized controlled trial.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a well-established therapeutic intervention for major depressive disorder. Recent literature has shown that the anesthetic agent ketamine has some antidepressant properties at low doses and may be an alternative therapy for treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. We hypothesized that the use of low-dose ketamine as an anesthetic adjunct in ECT would more rapidly improve depression while maintaining hemodynamic stability than ECT with propofol alone.

Methods

Institutional ethics approval was obtained, and the use of ketamine in this study was approved by Health Canada. This is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial that involved ketamine administration at 0.5 mg/kg IV in addition to propofol anesthesia for EC

SUBMITTER: Woolsey AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8827368 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan-Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature