A randomized clinical trial of adjunctive ketamine anesthesia in electro-convulsive therapy for depression

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a rapid acting and effective treatment for both major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BP). Both propofol and ketamine are commonly used anesthetic agents but recent clinical studies suggest that ketamine has rapid-acting antidepressant properties, itself, at sub-anesthetic doses. A total of 77 inpatients (41 MDD and 36 BP) were randomly assigned to receive ECT with propofol (1 mg/kg) anesthesia...