Ketamine in adult cardiac surgery and the cardiac surgery Intensive Care Unit: An evidence-based clinical review

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Michael Mazzeffi, University of Maryland; Kyle Johnson, University of Maryland; Christopher Paciullo, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2015
• Publisher: Medknow Publications
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2015 Annals of Cardiac Anaesthesia
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/0971-9784.154478
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Annals of Cardiac Anaesthesia
• ISSN: 0971-9784
• Volume: 18
• Issue: 2
• Start Page: 202
• End Page: 202
• Keywords: anesthesiology; dissociative anesthesia; cardiac surgery; intensive care; ketamine
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Pharmacology; Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery

Abstract

Ketamine is a unique anesthetic drug that provides analgesia, hypnosis, and amnesia with minimal respiratory and cardiovascular depression. Because of its sympathomimetic properties it would seem to be an excellent choice for patients with depressed ventricular function in cardiac surgery. However, its use has not gained widespread acceptance in adult cardiac surgery patients, perhaps due to its perceived negative psychotropic effects. Despite this limitation, it is receiving renewed interest in the United States as a sedative and analgesic drug for critically ill-patients. In this manuscript, the authors provide an evidence-based clinical review of ketamine use in cardiac surgery patients for intensive care physicians, cardio-thoracic anesthesiologists, and cardio-thoracic surgeons. All MEDLINE indexed clinical trials performed during the last 20 years in adult cardiac surgery patients were included in the review.