The Use of Ketamine as an Anaesthetic During Electroconvulsive Therapy

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2014-02-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

The main aim of this research is to ascertain whether Ketamine would be a more effective anaesthetic for Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) than the standard anaesthetic. In doing so the investigators aim to examine the effect of ketamine on ratings of depressive symptoms, the number of required ECT treatments, and the effect of this anaesthetic on memory.

• Phase: Phase 4
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: University of Aberdeen
• Collaborators: Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government; NHS Grampian
• Treatments: Anesthetics; Ketamine; Propofol

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• between the ages of 18 and 65 years old

• diagnosed with depression and being referred for ECT

• American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score of 1 or 2

• patient receiving ECT on an informal basis (i.e. consenting to treatment and able to give informed consent)

Exclusion Criteria:

• pre-existing neurological disease or cognitive impairment

• co-morbid psychiatric diagnoses

• pre-existing hypertension

• severe respiratory tract disease

• major cardiovascular disease

• pacemakers

• cerebrovascular disorder or malformation

• intracranial mass lesions

• seizure disorder

• intracranial electrode or clips

• intra-ocular pathology

• endocrine or metabolic disease

• severe hematologic disease

• severe fracture

• not able to give consent

• pregnancy