Trial reportMedical gas research
Efficacy of ketamine, propofol, and dexmedetomidine for anesthesia in electroconvulsive therapy in treatment-resistant major depressive disorder patients: a double-blind randomized clinical trial.
Trial report in Medical gas research. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Seizure adequacy and safety of remimazolam in electroconvulsive therapy for patients with psychiatric disorders: a double-blind randomized crossover trial.BMC psychiatry · 2026Trial
- Innovative Approaches to Depression Therapy: The Antidepressant Efficacy and Mechanisms of General Anesthetics.Current neuropharmacology · 2026Review
- Anesthetic Influence on Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Comprehensive Review.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2024Review
- The Effects of Remifentanil, Dexmedetomidine, and Metoral as Adjuncts to Thiopental on Hemodynamic Status After Electroconvulsive Therapy in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.Anesthesiology and pain medicine · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one of the therapeutic opportunities for patients with psychological disorders when they may decline to take medication. We sought to systematically compare the anesthetic efficacy of ketamine, propofol, and dexmedetomidine for electroconvulsive therapy in treatment-resistant major depressive disorder patients. This double-blind trial enrolled treatment-resistant major depressive disorder patients (n = 85) who had been hospitalized for ECT in the Amir Kabir Hospital's psychiatric ward (Arak, Iran). The ketamine, propofol, and dexmedetomidine groups received a dose of 0.2 μg/kg ketamine, 1.5 mg/kg propofol, and 0.8 mg/kg dexmedetomidine, respectively. In all intervention groups, 10 mL of interventional drugs was injected intravenously for 10 minutes, and in the placebo group, 10 mL of normal saline was given over the same period. The dexmedetomidine group's blood pressure was revealed comparatively lower at all times. Dexmedetomidine-treated patients showed their marked satisfaction, while those treated with propofol had shorter recovery time, shorter seizure duration, and shorter time to achieve an Aldrete score of 9-10 and increased relaxation, and next dexmedetomidine produced deeper relaxation. Propofol could shorten recovery time and seizure duration, and enhance relaxation, while dexmedetomidine was associated with higher patient satisfaction. Considering that any anesthetic which does not shorten seizure duration may serve efficiently for ECT and that ketamine-treated patients had more prolonged seizure duration, the preferred drug can hence be considered from various angles, thereby offering anesthetic agents with highly favorable efficacy in treatment-resistant major depressive disorder patients needing ECT. The drug choice thus depends on physical conditions, underlying diseases, and psychiatrist consultation.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.