Delayed increase of thrombocyte levels after a single sub-anesthetic dose of ketamine – A randomized trial

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-1-2018

Abstract

Recently, ketamine has been investigated as a potential antidepressant option for treatment resistant depression. Unlike traditional drugs, it yields immediate effects, most likely via increased glutamatergic transmission and synaptic plasticity. However, ketamine administration in humans is systemic and its long–term impact on blood parameters has not yet been described in clinical studies. Here we investigated potential sustained effects of ketamine administration (0.5 mg/kg ketamine racemate) on hematological and biochemical values in plasma and serum in a randomized double–blinded study. 80 healthy young participants were included and whole blood samples were collected 5 days before, and 14 days after the infusion. To assess the group effect, repeated measure analyses of co–variance (rmANCOVA) were conducted for the following blood parameters: levels of sodium, potassium, calcium, hemoglobin and number of erythrocytes, lymphocytes, and thrombocytes. RmANCOVA revealed a significant time by treatment effect on thrombocyte levels (F 1, 74 = 13.54, p < 0.001, eta = 0.155), driven by an increase in the ketamine group (paired t-test, t = −3.51, df = 38, p = 0.001). Specificity of thrombocyte effect was confirmed by logistic regression, and in addition, no other coagulation parameters showed significant interaction. Moreover, the relative increase in the ketamine group was stable across sexes and not predicted by age, BMI, smoking, alcohol or drug use, and contraception. Our results describe aftereffects of sub–anesthetic ketamine administration on blood coagulation parameters, which should be considered especially when targeting psychiatric populations with relevant clinical comorbidities.

Identifier

85046120048 (Scopus)

Publication Title

European Neuropsychopharmacology

External Full Text Location

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2018.03.014

e-ISSN

18737862

ISSN

0924977X

PubMed ID

29699723

First Page

701

Last Page

709

Issue

6

Volume

28

Grant

SFB 779

Fund Ref

Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst

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