Intraoperative Ketamine Versus Saline in Depressed Patients Undergoing Anesthesia for Non-cardiac Surgery

This double-blind, randomized clinical trial (n=45) evaluated whether ketamine, given as part of an anaesthetic, improves depression symptoms in depressed patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Half of the participants received a ketamine infusion during surgery, while the other half received a placebo (normal saline).

Trial Details



Trial Number

Sponsors & Collaborators

Stanford University
Researchers at Stanford are exploring the potential of ketamine, MDMA and psilocybin by connecting neuroscience, psychiatry and anesthesiology.

Papers

Randomized trial of ketamine masked by surgical anesthesia in patients with depression
This triple-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled trial (n=40) of adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) found no short-term effect on depression severity (measured by MADRS) after a single dose of intravenous ketamine (35mg/70kg) compared to placebo (saline) during anaesthesia for routine surgery.

Measures Used

Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a frequently used self-rating scale developed to assess psychological distress in non-psychiatric patients.

Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale
A ten-item diagnostic questionnaire used to measure the severity of depressive symptoms in patients with mood disorders.

Data attribution

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