Trial reportCJEM2026
A pilot randomized trial of ketamine for suicidal ideation in a pediatric emergency department.
Trial report in CJEM, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04955470 (Ketamine Infusion for Rapid Reduction of Suicidality in Pediatrics), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Ketamine Infusion for Rapid Reduction of Suicidality in Pediatrics: a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesEmergency department (ED) visits by adolescents with suicidal ideation have increased, with no rapid-acting treatments identified for ED use. This pilot study explored the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial of ketamine in the ED for adolescents with suicidal ideation.
methodsThree-arm, triple-blinded randomized controlled trial comparing intravenous ketamine (0.5 mg/kg), midazolam (0.03 mg/kg), and saline (0.9%) in adolescents requiring hospitalization for suicidal ideation. We primarily reported recruitment proportion as a measure of feasibility. Secondary outcomes included: additional aspects of feasibility (barriers to enrolment, retention, blinding, and adverse events) and distribution of suicidal ideation scores 90 min post-infusion on questions 3-5 of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale, item 10 of the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, and a pragmatic 0-10 Likert scale to estimate future randomized controlled trial sample size.
resultsOut of 21 eligible patients and guardians, 15 (71%, 95% CI 48, 87%) agreed to participate when offered the opportunity. Key barriers to enrolment included limited ED resources and absence of a consenting parent at time of assessment. Retention at 7, 14, 21, and 28-days was 93, 86, 73, and 73%. No serious or unexpected adverse events occurred. Blinding appeared reasonably effective. The median [IQR] Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale, Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, and pragmatic Likert scale scores at 90 min were 0 [0, 2], 4 [2, 4], 5 [5, 6] for ketamine; 0 [0, 3], 3 [3, 6], 6 [3, 7] for midazolam; and 3 [2, 3], 4 [4, 5], 6 [6, 7] for saline.
conclusionsDespite a small sample, our participation rate was high and trial design appeared feasible and safe. Dedicated research nurses and a mature-minor consent process could address key barriers to enrolment in future trials to determine if ketamine could provide ED physicians with the first rapid-acting pharmacological treatment for acute pediatric suicidal ideation. CLINICALTRIALS: gov: NCT04955470.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42234079What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.