Rethinking ketamine as a panacea: adverse effects on oxygenation and postoperative outcomes

Megan L Rolfzen; Ben Julian A Palanca; Karsten Bartels

doi:10.1016/j.bja.2023.12.030

Rethinking ketamine as a panacea: adverse effects on oxygenation and postoperative outcomes

Br J Anaesth. 2024 Apr;132(4):635-638. doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2023.12.030. Epub 2024 Jan 24.

Authors

Megan L Rolfzen¹, Ben Julian A Palanca², Karsten Bartels³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anesthesiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
² Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
³ Department of Anesthesiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA; Outcomes Research Consortium, Cleveland, OH, USA. Electronic address: karbartels@unmc.edu.

PMID: 38272733
DOI: 10.1016/j.bja.2023.12.030

Abstract

Ketamine is receiving renewed interest in perioperative medicine as an anaesthetic adjunct and a treatment for chronic conditions, including depression. Ketamine's complex pharmacologic profile results not only in several desirable effects, such as anaesthesia and analgesia, but also multiple adverse effects affecting the central nervous, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems. In addition to defining patient-centred outcomes in future clinical studies on the perioperative uses of ketamine, careful monitoring for its numerous adverse effects will be paramount.

Keywords: adverse effects; hypoxaemia; ketamine; perioperative outcomes.

Publication types

Editorial

MeSH terms

Analgesia*
Anesthesia*
Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions*
Humans
Ketamine* / adverse effects
Pain / drug therapy
Pain Management

Substances

Ketamine