Larkin, GregoryBeautrais, Annette2012-03-282011-09International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology 14(8):1127-1131 Sep 2011https://hdl.handle.net/2292/15855We examined the preliminary feasibility, tolerability and efficacy of single-dose, intravenous (i.v.) ketamine in depressed emergency department (ED) patients with suicide ideation (SI). Fourteen depressed ED patients with SI received a single i.v. bolus of ketamine (0.2 mg/kg) over 1-2 min. Patients were monitored for 4 h, then re-contacted daily for 10 d. Treatment response and time to remission were evaluated using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, respectively. Mean MADRS scores fell significantly from 40.4 (s.e.m.=1.8) at baseline to 11.5 (s.e.m.=2.2) at 240 min. Median time to MADRS score ≤10 was 80 min (interquartile range 0.67-24 h). SI scores (MADRS item 10) decreased significantly from 3.9 (s.e.m.=0.4) at baseline to 0.6 (s.e.m. =0.2) after 40 min post-administration; SI improvements were sustained over 10 d. These data provide preliminary, open-label support for the feasibility and efficacy of ketamine as a rapid-onset antidepressant in the ED.Items in ResearchSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. Previously published items are made available in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. Details obtained from http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/issn/1461-1457/https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/docs/uoa-docs/rights.htmAdultAntidepressive AgentsDepressive Disorder, MajorDose-Response Relationship, DrugDrug Administration ScheduleEmergency Medical ServicesHospitals, UniversityHumansInjections, IntravenousKetamineMaleMiddle AgedPilot ProjectsPsychiatric Status Rating ScalesSuicidal IdeationTime FactorsYoung AdultJournal Article10.1017/S1461145711000629Copyright: CINP21557878http://purl.org/eprint/accessRights/RestrictedAccess1469-5111S1461145711000629