The impact of ketamine on pain-related outcomes after thoracotomy: a systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Frontiers in medicine January 1, 2024 Aruzhan Zhaksylyk, Yerkin G Abdildin, Suienish Sultangazin et al.
Adding ketamine to morphine after thoracotomy reduces acute pain and lowers opioid use. A meta-analysis of nine randomized controlled trials with 556 patients found that patients receiving ketamine plus morphine had significantly less pain at rest and when moving or coughing during the first few days after surgery, and they consumed less morphine overall. The analysis found no data on whether ketamine prevents chronic pain after thoracotomy. The authors call for larger, standardized trials to assess both short- and long-term effects.