The effect of low-dose esketamine on pain and post-partum depression after cesarean section: A prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial

Objective: To observe and evaluate the effect of a single intravenous injection of low-dose esketamine on post-operative pain and post-partum depression (PPD) in cesarean delivery patients. Methods: = 105) by a random number table. At 5 min after childbirth, patients in the S group were given 0.25 mg/kg esketamine, whereas patients in the L group received an equal volume of saline. The primary outcomes included post-operative pain control according to the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and the incidence of PPD according to the Edinburgh Post-partum Depression Scale (EPDS). The secondary outcomes included analgesia-related adverse events and Ramsay sedation scores. Results: < 0.001). Conclusion: In this study, a single intravenous injection of 0.25 mg/kg esketamine did not reduce the incidence of depression at 1, 2, or 4 w post-partum but improved pain during exercise at 24 h post-operatively under the conditions of this clinical trial. Clinical trial registration: www.chictr.org.cn, identifier ChiCTR2100054332.