A feasibility study of low-dose ketamine for acute management of suicidal ideation.

Objective: Mood disorders complicated by suicidal ideation (SI) frequently present to the emergency department (ED) for care. Currently, patients with SI in the ED do not typically receive targeted interventions. Ketamine may have a role in treating SI within the ED because subanesthetic doses have rapid-acting antidepressant and antisuicidal properties. Methods: This single-arm, open-label feasibility study enrolled 14 participants from the ED with acute SI who were awaiting voluntary admission to inpatient psychiatry to receive ketamine at 0.5 mg/kg, administered intravenously. Participants were assessed post administration to evaluate feasibility of administration in the ED and short-term effectiveness. Feasibility was determined by acceptability by patients and physicians as well as tolerability and ability to recruit participants into the study. Efficacy was assessed based on changes in (1) self-reported mood and (2) suicidal ideation pre- and postinfusion of ketamine. Results: All patients reported severe depression and active SI at baseline. No serious adverse events were reported, and acceptability was rated highly by both participants and physicians (>70%). Two hours after receiving ketamine 0.5 mg/kg, the mean SI and somatic symptom burden were decreased compared to baseline (P < 0.001 and P = 0.005, respectively), and the mean self-reported mood was increased (P = 0.006). Improvements in mood and decreases in suicidality persisted at 6 hours. Conclusions: Overall, ketamine was well tolerated, considered feasible by both participants and physicians, and demonstrated short-term efficacy. There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating the feasibility of ketamine administration in the ED, and larger randomized trials should be conducted to establish treatment recommendations for patients with SI in the ED.

Clinician assessment of the driving competence of patients with dementia.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the validity and reliability of clinician ratings of the driving competence of patients with mild dementia. DESIGN: Observational study of a cross-section of drivers with mild dementia based on chart review by clinicians with varying types of expertise and experience. SETTING: Outpatient dementia clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty dementia subjects from a longitudinal study of driving and dementia. MEASUREMENTS: Each clinician reviewed information from the clinic charts and the first study visit. The clinician then rated the drivers as safe, marginal, or unsafe. A professional driving instructor compared these ratings with total driving scores on a standardized road test and categorical ratings of driving competence. Clinicians also completed a visual analog scale assessment of variables that led to their determinations of driving competence. RESULTS: Accuracy of clinician ratings ranged from 62% to 78% for the instructor's global rating of safe versus marginal or unsafe. In general, there was moderate accuracy and interrater reliability. Accuracy could have been improved in the least-accurate raters by greater attention to dementia duration and severity ratings, as well as less reliance on the history and physical examination. The most accurate predictors were clinicians specially trained in dementia assessment, who were not necessarily the most experienced in their years of clinical experience. CONCLUSION: Although a clinician may be able to identify many potentially hazardous drivers, accuracy is insufficient to suggest that a clinician's assessment alone is adequate to determine driving competence in those with mild dementia.

Practical management of Alzheimer's dementia.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. There currently is no effective treatment that delays the onset or slows the progression of AD. Significant advances in neuroscience, genetics and molecular biology over the past 25 years have changed the way we think about AD. This article reviews the literature on diagnosis and treatment of AD so that primary care physicians can manage this complex disease.