open access
Vol 14, No 3 (2020)
Review paper
Published online: 2020-08-17
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Ketamine — a unique adjuvant drug in pain treatment
1
Affiliations- Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Poland
open access
Vol 14, No 3 (2020)
Review paper
Published online: 2020-08-17
Abstract
Ketamine is an anaesthetic with unique properties. Synthesised for the first time in the early 1960s, it causes
dissociative anaesthesia, sedation, amnesia, and analgesia. Due to hallucinogenic effects, the use of the
drug was significantly reduced in the 1980s. At present, ketamine is used to treat acute and chronic pain,
especially pain resistant to other pain management methods. Ketamine can be effective in the treatment
of chronic neuropathic pain syndromes, prevention of secondary hyperalgesia in burn injuries, treatment
of muscle pain in patients with fibromyalgia, metastatic bone pain and treatment of pain caused by oral
mucositis.
Abstract
Ketamine is an anaesthetic with unique properties. Synthesised for the first time in the early 1960s, it causes
dissociative anaesthesia, sedation, amnesia, and analgesia. Due to hallucinogenic effects, the use of the
drug was significantly reduced in the 1980s. At present, ketamine is used to treat acute and chronic pain,
especially pain resistant to other pain management methods. Ketamine can be effective in the treatment
of chronic neuropathic pain syndromes, prevention of secondary hyperalgesia in burn injuries, treatment
of muscle pain in patients with fibromyalgia, metastatic bone pain and treatment of pain caused by oral
mucositis.
Get Citation
Keywords
ketamine, pain, adjuvant, analgesia
About this articleTitle
Ketamine — a unique adjuvant drug in pain treatment
Journal
Palliative Medicine in Practice
Issue
Article type
Review paper
Pages
192-197
Published online
2020-08-17
Page views
884
Article views/downloads
640
DOI
Bibliographic record
Palliat Med Pract 2020;14(3):192-197.
Keywords
ketamine
pain
adjuvant
analgesia
Authors
Anna Rupniewska-Ładyko
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