Dexmedetomidine Adjuvant Treatment for Depressed Patients Undergoing ECT
Status:
Not yet recruiting
Trial end date:
2023-03-02
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a highly prevalent and disabling condition for which the
currently available treatments are not fully effective. Existing unmet needs include rapid
onset of action and optimal management of concurrent agitation. Preliminary data support
Dexmedetomidine as an antidepressant with fast onset of action, which would be especially
helpful for patients experiencing treatment resistant depression, and agitation This trial
will recruit 76 participants from the ECT waiting list at department of psychiatry and
randomize them to either Dexmedetomidine infusion (0.5µg/kg/hr for 15 mins ) adjunct to ECT
or Placebo adjunct to ECT( Saline) treatment arm added to standard anesthetic induction in
depressed patients who have been prescribed ECT utilizing fixed randomization schedule that
allocate subjects in to a 1:1 ratio between two arms.. Participants will receive ECT as
described in the study schedule and as decided by their treating physician. Throughout the
study, clinical, neuroimaging, molecular, and cognitive assessments will be conducted.
The trial aims to show that compared with Placebo adjunct to ECT( Saline) treatment,
Dexmedetomidine infusion adjunctive treatment will lead to higher and faster response rate in
depression, lesser number of ECT sessions required to achieve antidepressant response, less
incidence of confusion post ECT and comparable incidence of side effects . This could lead to
faster, more effective treatment for patient with depression