Ketamine for Delirium Tremens

Severe alcohol withdrawal, or delirium tremens (DT), is a life-threatening condition that can require massive doses of benzodiazepines or barbiturates (GABA agonists), which can require intubation and prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) care. These authors studied a retrospective sample of adult patients admitted to a single ICU with DT to determine whether adjunctive therapy with ketamine improved outcomes.

They compared outcomes in 29 patients who received symptom-triggered therapy with GABA agonists with outcomes in 34 patients who were treated after initiation of a guideline that added an intravenous ketamine infusion (0.15–0.3 mg/kg/hour) to GABA agonist therapy. Using multivariable modeling that accounted for initial ethanol level and …