Low-dose ketamine safely reduces acute pain in the ED with a more rapid and shorter effect than morphine.
Annals of internal medicine April 1, 2024 Evan S Schwarz
A meta-analysis of 15 randomized controlled trials compared low-dose ketamine with morphine for acute pain in the emergency department. The analysis suggests that low-dose ketamine provides comparable pain relief to morphine, with a similar onset of action. However, ketamine was associated with a higher incidence of minor, transient side effects such as dizziness, nausea, and psychomimetic effects, while morphine carried a greater risk of respiratory depression and hypotension. The findings indicate that low-dose ketamine is a viable alternative to morphine for managing acute pain in the emergency setting, particularly when avoiding opioid-related adverse effects is a priority.