Ketamine

 Q; In dissociative sedation, a patient retains the spontaneous respirations but not the airway protective reflexes? (select one)

A) True

B) False

Answer: B

Lately, Ketamine use is on increase as a sedative agent in ICUs across the USA. This is is due to its property of causing dissociative sedation. Due to this unique property patient may appear in a trance-like cataleptic state. Ketamine also provides good analgesia. It also causes amnesia. Despite these effects, a patient retains both spontaneous respirations and airway protective reflexes. This makes it useful in non intubated patients as a sedative-infusion or for use in procedural sedation. Ketamine also keeps hemodynamic stability. 

#pharmacology

#sedation-analgesia

References:

1. Umunna BP, Tekwani K, Barounis D, Kettaneh N, Kulstad E. Ketamine for continuous sedation of mechanically ventilated patients. J Emerg Trauma Shock. 2015;8(1):11-15. doi:10.4103/0974-2700.145414 

2. Brown TB, Lovato LM, Parker D. Newton A, Fitton L. Intravenous ketamine for adult procedural sedation in the emergency department: a prospective cohort study. Emerg Med J 2008; 25:498.

3. Patrick M. Wieruszewski, PharmD; Jonathan G. Leung, PharmD, BCPS, BCPP; Sarah Nelson, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP Ketamine Use in the Intensive Care Unit AACN Adv Crit Care (2018) 29 (2): 101–106. https://doi.org/10.4037/aacnacc2018448