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Effect of pre-administration of esketamine intraoperatively on postpartum depression after cesarean section: A randomized, double-blinded controlled trial.

Wei Wang, Bin Ling, Qian Chen, Hua Xu, Jie Lv, Wanyou Yu

Medicine March 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000033086 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Randomized controlled trial Double-blind Peer reviewed
Sample size 120
Population Women aged 24 to 36 years undergoing cesarean section under spinal-epidural anesthesia with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status II
Interventions Esketamine normal saline
Dose 0.2 mg/kg
Duration Follow-up at 1 week and 6 weeks after surgery; adverse effects assessed at 48 hours
Topics Ketamine Depression Esketamine
Keywords Humans Depression, postpartum Anesthesia, epidural Cesarean section Pregnancy Infant Female
Key findings Intravenous esketamine 0.2 mg/kg given after infant delivery during cesarean section significantly reduced the incidence of postpartum depression at 1 week and 6 weeks after surgery compared with saline, without a significant difference in adverse effects at 48 hours.

Abstract

Background: To evaluate the effect of pre-administration of esketamine intraoperatively on the occurrence of postpartum depression after cesarean section under combined spinal-epidural anesthesia.

Methods: A total of 120 women aged 24 to 36 years undergoing cesarean section by spinal-epidural anesthesia with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status II were enrolled. According to the intraoperative use of esketamine, all participants were randomly divided into 2 groups: test group (group E) and control group (group C). Esketamine was administered intravenously at a dose of 0.2 mg/kg after the infant was delivered in group E and equal volume of normal saline was given in group C. The incidence of postpartum depression was recorded at 1 week and 6 weeks after the operation. The occurrence of adverse reactions such as postpartum bleeding, nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, and nightmares were also recorded at 48 hours after surgery.

Results: Compared with group C, the incidence of postpartum depression was significantly lower at 1 week and 6 weeks after surgery in group E (P < .01). There was no significant difference of the adverse effects at 48 hours after the operation between the 2 groups.

Conclusion: Intravenous infusion of 0.2 mg/kg esketamine in women during cesarean section can significantly reduce the incidence of postpartum depression at 1 week and 6 weeks after surgery without increasing related adverse effects.

Comparable studies

Other randomized controlled trials on esketamine for depression, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Efficacy and Safety of Flexibly Dosed Esketamine Nasal Spray Combined With a Newly Initiated Oral Antidepressant in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Randomized Double-Blind Active-Controlled Study Adults with moderate to severe nonpsychotic depression and a history of nonresponse to... 2019 Phase 3, double-blind, active-controlled, multicenter randomized controlled trial n = 227
Efficacy of Esketamine Nasal Spray Plus Oral Antidepressant Treatment for Relapse Prevention in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Depression Adults with treatment-resistant depression who achieved stable remission or stable... 2019 Phase 3, multicenter, double-blind, randomized withdrawal study n = 297
Efficacy and Safety of Intranasal Esketamine Adjunctive to Oral Antidepressant Therapy in Treatment-Resistant Depression Adults with DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of major depressive disorder and history of inadequate... 2017 Phase 2, double-blind, doubly randomized, delayed-start, placebo-controlled study n = 67
Efficacy and Safety of Intranasal Esketamine for the Rapid Reduction of Symptoms of Depression and Suicidality in Patients at Imminent Risk for Suicide: Results of a Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study Depressed patients at imminent risk for suicide 2018 Randomized controlled trial n = 68
Efficacy and Safety of Fixed-Dose Esketamine Nasal Spray Combined With a New Oral Antidepressant in Treatment-Resistant Depression: Results of a Randomized, Double-Blind, Active-Controlled Study (TRANSFORM-1) Adults with moderate-to-severe depression and nonresponse to at least two... 2019 Randomized controlled trial n = 346

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