Ketamine combo may halt prolonged seizures faster

NCT ID NCT06907173

Disease control Sponsor: University of Virginia Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026 · Updated 3 times

Summary

This phase 3 trial tests whether adding ketamine to the standard drug levetiracetam stops prolonged seizures (status epilepticus) more effectively than levetiracetam alone. About 770 people aged 1 and older who are still seizing after initial treatment will receive either the combination or standard care. The main goal is to see if seizures stop within 15 minutes and stay stopped for an hour.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Ketamine (added to levetiracetam)
What this could lead to: If successful, this could provide a faster, more effective way to stop prolonged seizures in the emergency room.
What could go wrong: This is an early-phase trial, so results may not confirm benefit. Ketamine can cause side effects like hallucinations or changes in blood pressure.

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

Phase 3

Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.

Participants

About 770 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Mar 2026

Expected to finish

Dec 2029

An estimate. End dates often move.

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

1 year 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: * The patient was witnessed to have a convulsive seizure for greater than 5-minute duration * The patient received an adequate dose of benzodiazepines. The doses may be divided. * The last dose of a benzodiazepine was administered 5-30 minutes before study drug administration. * Continued or recurring seizures in the Emergency Department. * Age 1 years or older * Known or estimated weight ≥10 Kg Exclusion Criteria: * Known pregnancy * Prisoner * Opt-out identification or otherwise known to be previously enrolled in KESETT * Treatment with a second line anticonvulsant (FOS, PHT, VPA, LEV, phenobarbital, or other agents defined in the MoP) for this episode of SE * Treatment with sedatives with anticonvulsant properties other than benzodiazepines for this episode of SE(propofol, etomidate, ketamine or other agents defined in the MoP) * Endotracheal intubation prior to enrollment * Acute traumatic brain injury clearly precedes seizures * Scalp injury or burn preventing EEG placement * Known allergy or other known contraindication to KET or LEV * Hypoglycemia \< 50 mg/dL * Hyperglycemia \> 400 mg/dL * Cardiac arrest / post-anoxic seizures

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Vår säkerhetsrekommendation!

Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Status Epilepticus

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Status epilepticus

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

62 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

Open the record ↗
A doctor treating you

A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

Arthur M. Blank Hospital
RECRUITING

Atlanta, Georgia, 30329, United States
Banner University Medical Center - Tucson Campus
RECRUITING

Tucson, Arizona, 85724, United States
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Los Angeles, California, 90027, United States
Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
RECRUITING

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, United States
Children's Medical Center Dallas
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Dallas, Texas, 75235, United States
Children's National Medical Center
RECRUITING

Washington D.C., District of Columbia, 20010, United States
Christiana Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Newark, Delaware, 19718, United States
Comer Children's Hospital
RECRUITING

Chicago, Illinois, 60637, United States
Cooper University Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Camden, New Jersey, 08103, United States
Detroit Receiving Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Detroit, Michigan, 48201, United States
Duke University Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Durham, North Carolina, 27710, United States
Froedtert Hospital
RECRUITING

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, United States
Grady Memorial Hospital
ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Atlanta, Georgia, 30303, United States
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Torrance, California, 90502, United States
Harborview Medical Center
RECRUITING

Seattle, Washington, 98104, United States
Hennepin County Medical Center
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55415, United States
Henry Ford Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Detroit, Michigan, 48202, United States
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
IU Health Methodist Hospital
RECRUITING

Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202, United States
Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital
RECRUITING

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19141, United States
Johns Hopkins Hospital
RECRUITING

Baltimore, Maryland, 21287, United States
Massachusetts General Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States
Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center
RECRUITING

Houston, Texas, 77030, United States
Nationwide Children's Hospital
RECRUITING

Columbus, Ohio, 43205, United States
Nemours Children's Hospital
RECRUITING

Wilmington, Delaware, 19803, United States
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
OSU Wexner Medical Center
RECRUITING

Columbus, Ohio, 43210, United States
Oregon Health & Science University Hospital
RECRUITING

Portland, Oregon, 97239, United States
Orlando Regional Medical Center
RECRUITING

Orlando, Florida, 32806, United States
Penn Presbyterian Medical Center
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
Primary Children's Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Salt Lake City, Utah, 84108, United States
Rady Children's Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

San Diego, California, 92123, United States
Reading Hospital
RECRUITING

West Reading, Pennsylvania, 19611, United States
Riley Hospital for Children
RECRUITING

Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202, United States
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Los Angeles, California, 90024, United States
Rush University Medical Center
RECRUITING

Chicago, Illinois, 60612, United States
SUNY Upstate Medical University
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Syracuse, New York, 13210, United States
San Francisco General Hospital
RECRUITING

San Francisco, California, 94143, United States
Sinai-Grace Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Detroit, Michigan, 48201, United States
Stanford University Medical Center
RECRUITING

Palo Alto, California, 94304, United States
Temple University Hospital Jeanes Campus
RECRUITING

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19111, United States
Temple University Hospital Main Campus
RECRUITING

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19140, United States
UAB Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Birmingham, Alabama, 35233, United States
UC Davis Medical Center
RECRUITING

Sacramento, California, 95817, United States
UC San Diego Health Hillcrest Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

San Diego, California, 92103, United States
UC San Diego Health La Jolla
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

La Jolla, California, 92037, United States
UCSF Medical Center
RECRUITING

San Francisco, California, 94143, United States
UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
RECRUITING

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15224, United States
UPMC Presbyterian Hospital
RECRUITING

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, United States
University Medical Center New Orleans
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, United States
University of Chicago Medical Center
RECRUITING

Chicago, Illinois, 60637, United States
University of Cincinnati Medical Center
RECRUITING

Cincinnati, Ohio, 45267, United States
University of Illinois Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Chicago, Illinois, 60612, United States
University of Iowa Medical Center
RECRUITING

Iowa City, Iowa, 52242, United States
University of Maryland Medical Center
RECRUITING

Baltimore, Maryland, 21201, United States
University of Michigan University Hospital
RECRUITING

Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, United States
University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital
RECRUITING

Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55414, United States
University of Minnesota Medical Center
RECRUITING

Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, United States
University of New Mexico Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87106, United States
University of Utah Healthcare
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112, United States
University of Virginia Medical Center
RECRUITING

Charlottesville, Virginia, 22908, United States
VCU Medical Center
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Richmond, Virginia, 23298, United States
Yale New Haven Hospital
RECRUITING

New Haven, Connecticut, 06519, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.