Therapeutic and Safety Outcomes of Intravenous Ketamine for Treatment-refractory Depression in a Veteran Population: A Case Series.

This article focuses on evaluating the clinical effectiveness and safety of repeated-dose intravenous (IV) ketamine infusions for treatment-refractory depression (TRD) in a cohort of veterans. The retrospective study of eight veterans with TRD and psychiatric comorbidities found that ketamine treatment over a median of 164 days led to a significant reduction in depression scores measured by the Beck Depression Inventory and Patient Health Questionnaire-9, with the most pronounced improvement occurring within the first 40 days. Safety assessments showed minimal effects on vital signs and no psychosis-like or dissociative symptoms, though some veterans experienced transient sedation or dizziness post-infusion. The study highlights ketamine's rapid antidepressant effects and tolerability but notes limitations including small sample size, retrospective design, and lack of long-term safety data, underscoring the need for prospective trials to better understand ketamine's role in managing TRD.