Delayed increase of thrombocyte levels after a single sub-anesthetic dose of ketamine - A randomized trial.
Lejla Colic, Marie Woelfer, Merima Colic, Anna Linda Leutritz, Thomas Liebe, Luisa Fensky, Zümrüt Duygu Sen, Meng Li, Juliane Hoffmann, Moritz Kretzschmar, Berend Isermann, Martin Walter
European Neuropsychopharmacology June 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2018.03.014 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized double-blinded study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 80 |
| Population | Healthy young participants |
| Intervention | Ketamine racemate |
| Dose | 0.5 mg/kg |
| Duration | Blood samples collected 5 days before and 14 days after the infusion |
| Measures | sodium, potassium, calcium, hemoglobin, erythrocytes, lymphocytes, thrombocytes |
| Topics | Esketamine Ketamine |
| Keywords | Delayed effect Human Sub–anesthetic ketamine Thrombocytes |
| Key points | A single sub-anesthetic dose of ketamine (0.5 mg/kg racemate) produced a sustained increase in thrombocyte levels 14 days after infusion compared with control, with a significant time-by-treatment interaction (F1,74 = 13.54, p < 0.001, eta = 0.155). The effect was stable across sexes and not predicted by age, BMI, smoking, alcohol or drug use, or contraception, and no other coagulation parameters showed a significant interaction. |
Abstract
Recently, ketamine has been investigated as a potential antidepressant option for treatment resistant depression. Unlike traditional drugs, it yields immediate effects, most likely via increased glutamatergic transmission and synaptic plasticity. However, ketamine administration in humans is systemic and its long-term impact on blood parameters has not yet been described in clinical studies. Here we investigated potential sustained effects of ketamine administration (0.5 mg/kg ketamine racemate) on hematological and biochemical values in plasma and serum in a randomized double-blinded study. 80 healthy young participants were included and whole blood samples were collected 5 days before, and 14 days after the infusion. To assess the group effect, repeated measure analyses of co-variance (rmANCOVA) were conducted for the following blood parameters: levels of sodium, potassium, calcium, hemoglobin and number of erythrocytes, lymphocytes, and thrombocytes. RmANCOVA revealed a significant time by treatment effect on thrombocyte levels (F1, 74 = 13.54, p < 0.001, eta = 0.155), driven by an increase in the ketamine group (paired t-test, t = -3.51, df = 38, p = 0.001). Specificity of thrombocyte effect was confirmed by logistic regression, and in addition, no other coagulation parameters showed significant interaction. Moreover, the relative increase in the ketamine group was stable across sexes and not predicted by age, BMI, smoking, alcohol or drug use, and contraception. Our results describe aftereffects of sub-anesthetic ketamine administration on blood coagulation parameters, which should be considered especially when targeting psychiatric populations with relevant clinical comorbidities.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on ketamine, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subanesthetic Effects of the Noncompetitive NMDA Antagonist, Ketamine, in Humans Healthy human subjects recruited from the community | 1994 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 19 |
| Antidepressant Efficacy of Ketamine in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression: A Two-Site Randomized Controlled Trial Patients with treatment-resistant major depression experiencing a major depressive episode | 2013 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
| Remifentanil-induced Postoperative Hyperalgesia and Its Prevention with Small-dose Ketamine Patients undergoing major abdominal surgery | 2005 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 75 |
| Efficacy of Intravenous Ketamine for Treatment of Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Patients with chronic PTSD related to a range of trauma exposures | 2014 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Ketamine-Induced Deficits in Auditory and Visual Context-Dependent Processing in Healthy Volunteers Healthy volunteers | 2000 | Single-blind placebo-controlled study | n = 20 |
Citations in the library
Cites 10
- Measurement of dissociative states with the Clinician‐Administered Dissociative States Scale (CADSS) Journal of Traumatic Stress 1998
- Ketamine and postoperative pain – a quantitative systematic review of randomised trials Pain December 15, 2004
- The destruction of the lower urinary tract by ketamine abuse: a new syndrome? British Journal of Urology August 1, 2008
- Do the dissociative side effects of ketamine mediate its antidepressant effects? Journal of Affective Disorders February 18, 2014
- Plasma brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and response to ketamine in treatment-resistant depression The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology October 8, 2013
and 5 more in the library