Blood pressure changes during ketamine infusion for the treatment of depression.
Mina Ansari, Brian Pittman, Daniel S Tylee, Robert Ostroff, Samuel T. Wilkinson, Sina Nikayin
General Hospital Psychiatry 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2024.07.001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Retrospective chart-review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 138 |
| Population | Patients with depression undergoing ketamine infusion at Yale Psychiatry Hospital |
| Intervention | Ketamine infusion |
| Duration | 7-year period |
| Topics | Esketamine Depression Ketamine |
| Keywords | Cardiovascular changes Severe hypertension Cardiovascular safety Ketamine adverse effects Blood pressure monitoring Treatment tolerability Hypertension risk |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key findings | Ketamine infusions cause significant blood pressure increases, with severe hypertension more common in older and hypertensive patients. |
Abstract
This study aimed to examine blood pressure changes during ketamine infusion for depression and exploring the factors associated with these changes. This study is a retrospective chart-review of patients with depression undergoing ketamine infusion at Yale Psychiatry Hospital during a 7-year period. Blood pressure (BP) was recorded every 10 min during the infusion. Surges in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), along with severe hypertension events, were analyzed in relation to patient demographics. A total of 138 patients received a total of 2342 infusions. SBP and DBP peaked at 40 min after the start of the infusion with a mean change of 16.0 (SD: 11.2) and 11.0 mmHg (SD: 8.45) respectively. Severe hypertension was observed in 17 patients (12.5%) and 23 infusion sessions (0.98%), occuring more frequently during the first three infusions (43.4%). Age (OR = 1.04 [1.02,1.05], p-value <0.001) was significantly associated with a surge in SBP and all patients with a past medical history of hypertension experienced a BP surge during their infusions. Ketamine infusions can cause significant blood pressure increases, particularly in older and hypertensive patients, highlighting the need for careful cardiovascular monitoring to mitigate risks during treatment.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on esketamine for depression, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Ketamine Versus Electroconvulsive Therapy for the Treatment of Depression: A Guide for Clinicians. FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry April 1, 2025
- Ketamine Use in Self-Described Therapeutic Contexts: A Thematic Analysis of Reddit Posts Behavioral Sciences March 24, 2026
- Dysfunction in Cardiovascular Autonomic Modulation Caused by Chronic Use of Ketamine Hydrochloride Can Be Prevented by Aerobic Exercise Training in Wistar Rats. Journal of Clinical Medicine October 24, 2025
Cites 14
- The effect of a single dose of intravenous ketamine on suicidal ideation: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis American Journal of Psychiatry October 3, 2017
- A Consensus Statement on the Use of Ketamine in the Treatment of Mood Disorders JAMA Psychiatry March 1, 2017
- Side-effects associated with ketamine use in depression: a systematic review. The Lancet Psychiatry 2018
- Ketamine versus ECT for Nonpsychotic Treatment-Resistant Major Depression. New England Journal of Medicine May 24, 2023
- Ketamine Safety and Tolerability in Clinical Trials for Treatment-Resistant Depression The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry September 2, 2014
and 9 more in the library