A Comparison of Ketamine to Midazolam for the Management of Acute Behavioral Disturbance in the Out-of-Hospital Setting.
Annals of emergency medicine May 1, 2025 Maeve Muldowney, Catherine R Counts, Madison C Maider et al. 2 citations
For patients with acute behavioral disturbance treated by paramedics, the need for emergency airway support was similar whether they received midazolam or ketamine. In a retrospective study of 376 patients in an urban emergency medical service system from 2017 to 2021, 43% initially received midazolam and 57% ketamine. Advanced airway management occurred in 12% of the midazolam group and 11% of the ketamine group, a difference of 0.5%. After adjusting for confounders, the odds of receiving an airway did not differ between the drugs. Emergency department intubation rates and overall mortality were also similar.