Low-dose ketamine as an adjunct to morphine: A randomized controlled trial among patients with and without current opioid use.
Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine October 1, 2024 Stine Fjendbo Galili, Bodil Hammer Bech, Hans Kirkegaard et al. 2 citations
Adding a low dose of ketamine (0.1 mg/kg) to morphine provides faster and greater pain relief in the first 10 minutes for adults with acute pain in the emergency department, compared to morphine alone. Among 116 patients, those receiving the combination reported a median pain reduction of 4 points on a 0–10 scale, versus 1 point with placebo. Lower pain intensity persisted at 20 and 30 minutes. However, the combination increased the risk of nausea, vomiting, and dissociation within the first 10 minutes. The benefit was seen both in patients currently using opioids and those who were not.