Efficacy and safety of perioperative application of ketamine on postoperative depression: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies
Molecular Psychiatry January 20, 2023 Jie Guo, Di Qiu, Han-Wen Gu et al. 46 citations
Perioperative intravenous ketamine reduces postoperative depression scores and pain scores on the first day after surgery but increases the risk of adverse effects including nausea, vomiting, headache, hallucination, and dizziness. The analysis of 15 randomized controlled trials with 1697 patients receiving ketamine and 1462 controls showed a reduction in depression scores on postoperative days 1, 3, and 7 and over the long term. Pain scores were lower only on the first postoperative day. The authors conclude that ketamine's benefits for postoperative depression and pain must be weighed against its increased adverse effects.