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Hot Off the Press: Subdissociative‐dose Ketamine for Acute Pain in the Emergency Department
Author(s) -
Drake Aaran B.,
Milne William K.,
Carpenter Christopher R.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
academic emergency medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.221
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1553-2712
pISSN - 1069-6563
DOI - 10.1111/acem.12705
Subject(s) - medicine , ketamine , emergency department , acetaminophen , dissociative , placebo , nausea , adverse effect , anesthesia , randomized controlled trial , opioid , chronic pain , vomiting , clinical trial , physical therapy , pharmacology , psychiatry , alternative medicine , receptor , pathology
Safely and efficiently reducing pain are primary functions of emergency department (ED) providers. Traditional analgesics (e.g., acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs], opioids) often provide adequate relief, but managing refractory pain is challenging. Concerns for overtreatment and opioid abuse are balanced with the risk of oligoanalgesia. Alternative nonopioid approaches to acute pain management are needed. Ketamine is an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist typically used as a dissociative anesthetic. However, subdissociative doses of ketamine (SDDK) effectively relieve acute perioperative and chronic pain. Ketamine’s effectiveness in treating acute pain in the ED is worth exploring.