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Ketamine: Is the current 200 mg product fit for purpose in the emergency department?
Author(s) -
Elmi Huda,
Pisasale Daisy,
Taylor Simone E,
Kebire Omer,
Abbott Leonie
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
emergency medicine australasia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.602
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1742-6723
pISSN - 1742-6731
DOI - 10.1111/1742-6723.13695
Subject(s) - medicine , ketamine , emergency department , anesthesia , audit , retrospective cohort study , emergency medicine , surgery , psychiatry , management , economics
Objective To describe the magnitude of ketamine doses administered in the ED, to identify an appropriate product to minimise risk of administration errors and diversion. Methods Retrospective audit of patients prescribed ketamine in two mixed adult/paediatric EDs over 12 months. Results Ketamine was administered to 386 patients (722 doses). The most common dose was ≤20 mg (52.1%), followed by 21–50 mg (30.5%). Overall, 215 patients required one dose only (71 received a dose ≤20 mg), while 299 required no more than two doses. Conclusion Over three‐quarters of ketamine doses were ≤50 mg; therefore, 50 mg in 1 mL may be an appropriate product.