A Randomized Pilot Trial of Intramuscular Ketamine and Crisis Response Planning for Suicide Prevention in the Emergency Department
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Summary
The goal of this randomized pilot trial is to assess the feasibility of administering a combination of 100mg intramuscular (IM) ketamine and Crisis Response Plan (a short psychosocial intervention) for patients with acute suicidality in the context of the Emergency Department setting. This study will assess a combination of a pharmacologic intervention and a psychosocial one. The pharmacologic intervention is a one-time dose of 100mg ketamine delivered intramuscularly (IM) while the patient is in the ED. The psychosocial intervention under study is a brief, patient-centered therapy which takes, on average, 30 minutes to administer. Both interventions will be administered only once. The main questions this study aims to answer are: * Determine if 100mg of IM ketamine and Crisis Response Plan in combination results in greater short-term reductions in suicidal ideation in adult patients who report acutely elevated suicide risk during an ED visit. * Examine potential weight-based dose response differences in the reductions in suicidal ideation to determine if future treatment protocols with IM ketamine may benefit from weight-based dosing.
Description
This study is a phase II/III Clinical Pilot Trial. The study participants will be randomized to one of two groups: IM ketamine plus Crisis Response Planning (intervention group) or usual care (control group). Prior to treatment, we will obtain demographic and contact information for patients and for a friend/family member as a collateral reporter of symptom change and safety. As part of informed consent, participants will be warned about the potential for temporary effects of ketamine and provided an enrollment card to inform other care providers of their participation in a ketamine study. Par…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–70 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Adult men and women between the ages of 18 and 70 presenting to the Emergency Department with acute suicidal ideation. * Patient cleared for admission to the University Hospital inpatient psychiatric unit. * Decision to admit the patient to the inpatient unit or psychiatric stabilization unit made prior to consent to prevent study procedures from complicating or influencing the disposition and treatment as usual for suicidal patients reporting to the ED. * Individuals presenting to the ED for other complaints but found to have suicidal ideation necessitating admission wi…
Interventions
- DrugKetamine Hydrochloride
100mg IM ketamine to be administered in conjunction with CRP. The ketamine injection will be administered first. Participants will be observed and have vital signs monitored for the first 45 minutes after administering medication in the ED, observing for immediate reactions. Afterwards, participants will continue to be monitored for potential late-term side effects on the inpatient unit. Ketamine will be given only after initial standard of care (SOC) treatment and screening studies have been initiated.
- BehavioralCrisis Response Plan
Crisis Response Plan is a brief, empirically-validated, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy-based one-time therapy, and its administration typically takes 30-60 minutes. It begins with a narrative assessment (allowing patients to "tell their story") and concludes with collaboratively constructed plan that outlines strategies for the patient's self-management of future acute suicidal crises. Patients who engage in CRP are given an index card to keep with them that summarizes the emotional management strategies that they collaboratively generate with the CRP provider.
Location
- University HospitalSan Antonio, Texas