2.7 Statistical analysis
Statistical analysis was done using Stata 14.2 (Stata Corp, College
Station, TX). The categorical variables were tested for significance
using Fisher’s exact test, and the continuous variables, including
primary outcome, were tested for significance using the two-sample
t-test. The p-value was based on two-sided comparisons. There were no
protocol violations, and the intention to treat analysis was employed.
The analyst was masked to the groups (ketamine, placebo).
RESULTS
A total of 64 patients were screened for enrollment during the study
period of 17 months at the two centers in a tertiary healthcare
institute. A total of 44 patients, including both inpatient and
outpatient, were enrolled in the study. The study flow chart is shown in
Figure 1. The baseline characteristics were all well-balanced between
the two arms (Table 1).