Utility of Intravenous Ketamine as an Alternative, Effective Depression Treatment for Hospitalized Patients Unable to Receive Electroconvulsive Therapy Due to Medical Risks

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) with ketamine induction for catatonia in an HIV positive patient

“…19 There are also a few case reports of the successful use of ketamine infusions in the treatment of catatonia but no larger comparative studies. 13,14 Cobb and Nanda note a lack of high-quality evidence to suggest that ECT with ketamine is superior to ECT with other anaesthetic agents, and they also report limited evidence regarding the superiority of the direct effects of ketamine on depression when compared to ECT. 10 There are a few case reports of liver dysfunction associated with regular recreational ketamine use in HIV-positive men on ART, specifically ritonavir-containing regimes.…”

“… 11 , 12 There are also a few case reports suggesting that ketamine may be also an effective alternative treatment for catatonia. 13 , 14 …”

“…11,12 There are also a few case reports suggesting that ketamine may be also an effective alternative treatment for catatonia. 13,14 Introduction: The successful use of ECT as treatment for catatonia, in the context of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection, has been described previously. Ketamine has been used as an anaesthetic induction agent for ECT, although not considered the induction agent of choice.…”