Loading...
Ketamine is increasingly used for analgesia in the emergency department (ED). This nonopioid intervention has appeal for patients with chronic pain, as this group typically has difficult-to-control pain and is at high risk for opioid dependence.
In a randomized controlled trial, 106 ED patients with acute exacerbations of chronic pain received 20-minute infusions of ketamine at 0.5 mg/kg or 0.25 mg/kg, or saline placebo. The primary outcome –– a significant reduction in pain (20-point reduction on a 100-point scale) at 60 minutes –– was achieved in 83% of patients in the high-dose ketamine arm, 80% in the lower dose ketamine arm, and 41% in the placebo arm, a significant difference. The ketamine arms had higher rates of adverse events (40% i…