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A retrospective analysis of iv ketamine outcome on hospitalisations in an unselected psychiatric sample.

Karl Sandström, Olli Kampman, Peter Asellus

Acta Neuropsychiatrica April 25, 2024 DOI: 10.1017/neu.2024.18 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Retrospective cohort study Peer reviewed
Sample size 46
Population Patients who received intravenous ketamine on a psychiatric treatment indication
Topics Depression Ketamine Esketamine
Keywords Antidepressive agents Mood disorders Ketamine therapy Antidepressant medications Clinical psychiatry
Citations 1
Key findings Intravenous ketamine treatment reduced depressive symptoms but did not significantly reduce hospitalizations.

Abstract

This study aims to explore the outcome with iv ketamine treatment in a real-world clinical setting, primarily measured as posttreatment days hospitalised. The psychiatric medical records of 46 patients having received iv ketamine on a psychiatric treatment indication between 2015 and 2018 were retrospectively examined. Analysis comparing the number and duration of hospital admissions before and after ketamine treatment as well as logistic regression analysis to investigate clinical predictors of effectiveness, were performed. To assess patients' severity of depressed symptoms records were screened for MADRS-S scores. No significant difference between pre- and posttreatment hospital days (p = 0.170), or number of hospitalisations (p = 0.740) were found. The response rate was 31% and remission rate 21%. None of the predictors showed statistical significance in the logistic model. Iv ketamine treatment showed effectiveness in reducing depressive symptoms even with complex patients in a real-world clinical setting. However, this did not translate to a reduction in hospitalisation. Highlighting the multifaceted challenges posed when implementing iv ketamine treatment in clinical practice.

Comparable studies

Other observational and cohort studies on ketamine for depression, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Concomitant BDNF and sleep slow wave changes indicate ketamine-induced plasticity in major depressive disorder Patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder 2012 Observational cohort n = 30
Altered peripheral immune profiles in treatment-resistant depression: response to ketamine and prediction of treatment outcome Healthy controls and actively depressed patients with treatment-resistant depression... 2017 Observational cohort n = 59
Clinical Predictors of Ketamine Response in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression Treatment-resistant inpatients with DSM-IV-TR-diagnosed major depressive disorder or... 2014 Post hoc analysis of pooled data from four studies n = 108
An investigation of amino-acid neurotransmitters as potential predictors of clinical improvement to ketamine in depression Drug-free patients with major depressive disorder 2011 Observational cohort n = 14
Efficacy of ketamine therapy in the treatment of depression Drug-free/naïve men with severe depression, no history of psychotic disorder, head... 2019 Observational cohort n = 25

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