Works fast. Ketamine is short-acting. Its onset time is less than
30 seconds, it lasts 40 minutes and has a half-life of 10 to 15 min-
utes. That means patients can be discharged quickly, as long as they
are pain free.
An old drug learns new tricks
Ketamine's anesthetic mechanism of action and its analgesic proper-
ties might deserve a second look. All I can tell you is that ketamine
does well in all my patients. I only hesitate to use the drug when a
patient has an allergy to it, obviously, or when the patient's cardiovas-
cular history precludes its use. Ketamine's application in the OR is on
the rise. More and more providers are relying on it instead of opioids.
Now you know 8 good reasons why.
OSM
Dr. Kalava (arun@araliyainc.com) is an anesthesiologist and medical
director at Belleair Surgery Center, HCA West Florida in Clearwater, Fla.,
and the director of Ultrasound Experts in Tampa, Fla.
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