Ketamine Hydrochloride

Indications

Kain (ketamine hydrochloride) is used as the only anesthetic for diagnostic and surgical procedures that don't need skeletal muscle relaxation. Kain injection suits short procedures best, but with additional doses it can also be used for longer ones. Specific areas where it has been used include the following. Debridement, painful dressings and skin grafting in burn patients, as well as other superficial surgical procedures. Neurodiagnostic procedures such as pneumonencephalograms, ventriculograms, myelograms and lumbar punctures. Diagnostic and operative procedures of the eye, ear, nose and mouth, including dental extractions. Kain injection is also used to start (induce) anesthesia before other general anesthetic agents are given. It can be used as well to supplement low-potency agents, such as nitrous oxide.

⚠️ Always consult a registered physician before taking any medicine.

Pharmacology

Ketamine is a rapid-acting general anesthetic that is not a barbiturate. It produces an anesthetic state with profound analgesia. This state is called "dissociative anesthesia", a form of general anesthesia marked by catalepsy, catatonia and amnesia, though the person is not necessarily completely unconscious.

Ketamine is often called a "unique drug". It has hypnotic (sleep producing), analgesic (pain relieving) and amnesic (short term memory loss) effects, and no other drug used in clinical practice combines these three important features. It was first used clinically in 1970, and because of these combined effects people thought it might be the perfect anesthetic agent.

Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Ketamine hydrochloride hasn't been shown to be safe in pregnancy, and that includes obstetric use, whether for a vaginal or an abdominal delivery. So it is not recommended in these situations.

⚠️ Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

Dosage Reference

⚠️ Reference ranges from official sources only. Consult your doctor for personalized dosing.

Adults: Onset and Duration: Induction is rapid after the first intravenous injection, so the patient should be in a supported position while Ketamine is given. The onset of action is quick. An intravenous dose of 2 mg/kg of body weight usually produces surgical anesthesia within 30 seconds of the injection, and the effect usually lasts 5 to 10 minutes. If a longer effect is wanted, further increments can be given intravenously or intramuscularly to maintain anesthesia without significant cumulative effects. Intramuscular doses of 9 to 13 mg/kg (this comes from experience mainly in children) usually produce surgical anesthesia within 3 to 4 minutes of injection, with the effect usually lasting 12 to 25 minutes. Intravenous Route: The first intravenous dose of Ketamine may range from 1 mg/kg to 4.5 mg/kg. The average amount needed for 5 to 10 minutes of surgical anesthesia has been 2 mg/kg. In adults, an induction dose of 1 mg to 2 mg/kg of intravenous Ketamine at a rate of 0.5 mg/kg/mm may be used to induce anesthesia. Diazepam in doses of 2 mg to 5 mg may also be used, given in a separate syringe over 60 seconds. In most cases 15 mg of intravenous diazepam or less will be enough. This induction dosage program may reduce psychological manifestations during emergence, particularly dream-like observations and emergence delirium. Rate of Administration: Ketamine should be given slowly, over a period of 60 seconds. Faster administration may cause respiratory depression and an enhanced pressor response. Intramuscular Route: The first intramuscular dose of Ketamine may range from 6.5 to 13 mg/kg. A dose of 10 mg/kg will usually produce 12 to 25 minutes of surgical anesthesia. Maintenance of anesthesia: Increments of one half to the full induction dose, given either IV or IM, may be repeated as needed to maintain anesthesia. Nystagmus, movements in response to stimulation, and vocalization may show that the anesthesia is getting lighter.