Quality of Recovery in Veterans Following Postoperative Ketamine Infusion Implementation.
Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses November 18, 2025 Erika Grattidge, Derrick Glymph, Virginia C Simmons et al.
Among 21 Veterans with chronic pain undergoing complex surgery, a structured low-dose ketamine infusion program (0.2 mg/kg/hr for 24-72 hours) was associated with safe and sustained improvements in postoperative recovery. Mean Quality of Recovery-15 scores rose from 84 (poor recovery) on day 2 to 124 (good recovery) by day 30, with 80% of participants achieving a clinically meaningful improvement of at least six points. No ketamine-related adverse events were reported. The program was successfully implemented across multiple postoperative and inpatient settings using structured nursing education and standardized monitoring, demonstrating the feasibility of delivering ketamine infusions outside intensive care in a Veterans Affairs hospital.