Dissociative and analgesic properties of ketamine are independent and unaltered by sevoflurane general anesthesia
PAIN Reports June 3, 2021 Eunice Y. Hahm, Shubham Chamadia, J. Locascio et al. 6 citations
Ketamine given during general anesthesia reduces pain intensity by 3 points and increases dissociation scores by 17.8 points, but these two effects are independent: the pain reduction does not depend on dissociation. This suggests that ketamine's analgesic and dissociative properties involve separate brain circuits, even under general anesthesia, and that ketamine might be developed into a more targeted pain treatment without causing dissociation.