Low-Dose Ketamine for Pain: IV Push or Slow Infusion?

Neuropsychiatric side effects were more common with intravenous push administration, but does it matter?

At intravenous (IV) doses of 0.1–0.3 mg/kg, ketamine is a safe and effective analgesic. Adverse effects are minimal and include sedation and a feeling of disconnection from reality. Investigators compared the effectiveness and adverse effect burden of ketamine administration by IV push versus slow infusion in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-dummy trial.

Forty-eight emergency department patients with acute pain received 0.3 mg/kg of IV ketamine given either over 5 minutes by push or over 15 minutes by infusion. Feelings of unreality (quantified using the Side Effects Rating Scale for Dissociative Anesthetics) were more common in the IV push group overall (92% vs. 54%). Sedation was more pronounced in the IV push group, with median Ri…

Reviewing Author

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education

Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education

Low-Dose Ketamine for Pain: IV Push or Slow Infusion?

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Reviewing Author