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Ketamine may help ICU patients breathe easier on ventilators

NCT ID NCT01969227

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study looked at how a low dose of ketamine, a medicine often used for anesthesia, affects breathing and brain activity in 15 critically ill patients who were on breathing machines (ventilators) in the ICU. The goal was to see if ketamine could help stimulate breathing and improve airway function. The results help doctors understand how ketamine might be used to support breathing in these patients.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

15 people

The number who actually took part.

Start date

Jan 2014

Finished

Dec 2022

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥ 18 years admitted to ICU requiring mechanical ventilation * Suitable for spontaneous breathing trial * Candidate to received low dose ketamine by the primary critical care team Exclusion Criteria: * Esophageal injury * Allergic to ketamine * Known neurodegenerative disorders * Major neurologic disorders (elevated ICP)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

respiratory failure

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Airway patency Mechanical ventilation Respiratory depression

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States

  • Massachusetts General Hospital

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States

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