Abstract

Ketamine acts mainly as a N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAr) antagonist. Originally developed as a general anesthetic, it is now seldom employed as such in richer countries due to the relatively high risk of psychotomimetic adverse effects. Recently, low – dose regimens in the range of 0.25 – 0.5 mg/kg as an initial bolus followed by 50 – 500 μg/kg/h have been proposed as an adjuvant for postoperative analgesia and for the reduction of exogenous opioid – induced hyperalgesia. In this review, we examine the evidence for clinical usefulness of perioperative ketamine infusion and its role in the context of general and/or regional anesthesia.

Keywords: Ketamine, analgesia, perioperative care, pain, postoperative, analgesics, non-narcotic