Tag Archives: ketamine

Pearls from the Airway Registry – CGD 29/06/2016

(Thanks again to Dr. Clare Hayes-Bradley for presenting the latest Airway Registry and penning the subsequent discussion points below.) To RSI or not to RSI, that is the question… It’s foul weather, near zero degrees and torrential rain, it’s night, … Continue reading

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Is lamotrigine ketamine’s black swan?

The black swan theory describes rare events beyond the realm of normal expectation. We use ketamine on a daily basis, but are there any circumstances in which ketamine simply will NOT work? This interesting case report by an Ex-Sydney HEMS physician Daniel … Continue reading

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Ketamine for TBI: Why not?

The 1970s were a dark time for ketamine use in patients with intracranial pathology. In patients with non-traumatic lesions, ketamine was suggested to increase intracranial pressure (ICP) using various markers as end-points to suggest this (see references below). Although this … Continue reading

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Ketamine update

Anaesthetist Dr Jan Persson from Stockholm has published an updated review of recent ketamine literature. The following interesting facts about our favourite drug are extracted from Dr Persson’s paper: Action on multiple receptors earns it the nickname: ‘the nightmare of … Continue reading

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Ketamine for HEMS intubation in Canada

Ketamine was used by clinical staff from the The Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS) in Alberta to facilitate intubation in both the pre-hospital & in-hospital setting (with a neuromuscular blocker in only three quarters of cases). Changes in vital … Continue reading

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Taming the Ketamine Tiger

A paper of great interest for those of us who spend a lot of time teaching the use of ketamine describes its history from initial synthesis in the early 1960s. Ketamine pioneer Edward F. Domino, M.D describes how it was … Continue reading

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The myth of ketamine and head injury

A literature review addresses the myth that ketamine is contraindicated in head injured patients. They summarise articles from the 1970’s which identified an association between ketamine and increased ICP in patients with abnormal cerebrospinal fluid pathways (such as those caused … Continue reading

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Ketamine use by paramedics

A poster presentation at the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine’s Annual Scientific Conference in Melbourne in November 2009 reports 100 cases of pre-hospital ketamine use for analgesia by paramedics in New Zealand – reproduced below with permission of the author: … Continue reading

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emergence with ketamine overstated

A prospective study of 746 children sedated in the emergency department with iv or im ketamine revealed 2.1% may have experienced ’emergence delirium’ although the authors concede this was difficult to define. In contrast, 291 (38%) reported pleasant altered perceptions. … Continue reading

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Ketamine lowered ICP in brain-injured kids

Ketamine lowered ICP in brain-injured kids Ventilated children between the ages of 1 and 16 with traumatic brain injury and elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) were given ketamine and effect on cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) and ICP was measured. Ketamine decreased … Continue reading

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