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Could ketamine be a better sedative for ICU patients? new trial launches

NCT ID NCT06767358

Symptom relief Sponsor: McMaster University 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 This study
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
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026

Summary

This study tests whether adding a low-dose ketamine infusion to usual care can improve sedation and pain control for adults on breathing machines in the ICU. About 54 patients across Canadian hospitals will be randomly assigned to receive either ketamine or a placebo, without knowing which they get. The main goal is to see if such a trial is feasible, while also tracking outcomes like time on the ventilator, delirium, and survival.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
ketamine hydrochloride
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a safer, pain-relieving sedation option for ICU patients on ventilators, potentially reducing delirium and narcotic use.
What could go wrong
This is a small pilot study (54 patients) focused on feasibility, not yet on proving effectiveness. Ketamine may cause side effects like high blood pressure or hallucinations, and results may not apply to all ICU 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

Phase 3

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

Participants

About 54 people

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

Expected to start

Oct 2025

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Dec 2027

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

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: * Adult patients (≥ 18 years) admitted to the ICU * Receiving invasive mechanical ventilation and expected to remain mechanically ventilated beyond the calendar day after randomization * Mechanically ventilated for fewer than 3 days * Receiving any non-ketamine continuous sedative infusion Exclusion Criteria: * Admitted with a primary diagnosis of intracranial hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, or stroke * Admitted with uncontrolled hypertension (SBP/DBP \> 180/100mmHg) * Status asthmaticus * Admitted to the ICU with partial thickness burns \> 10% total body surface area or any full thickness burns * Schizophrenia * End-stage Liver Failure (Child-Pugh C) * Requiring an equivalent of norepinephrine at a dose ≥1mcg/kg/min * Undergoing palliation or comfort care * On neuromuscular blocking agent * Pre-existing tracheostomy * Hypersensitivity to Ketamine * Liver transplantation in the last month * Pregnant or breast-feeding

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Critical Illness

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Critically ill intensive care unit patients Mechanical ventilation

How to take part

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

  1. The places running it

    3 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. 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 ↗

  3. 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

  • Hamilton Health Sciences

    Hamilton, Ontario, L8V1C3, Canada

  • Mount Sinai Hospital

    Toronto, Ontario, M5G1X5, Canada

  • St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton

    Hamilton, Ontario, L8N 4A6, Canada

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