Low-Dose Ketamine Infusion for Emergency Department Patients with Severe Pain.

Objective: Use of low-dose ketamine infusions in the emergency department (ED) has not previously been described, despite routine use in perioperative and other settings. Our hypothesis was that a low-dose ketamine bolus followed by continuous infusion would 1) provide clinically significant and sustained pain relief; 2) be well tolerated; and 3) be feasible in the ED.

Methods: We prospectively administered 15 mg intravenous ketamine followed immediately by continuous ketamine infusion at 20 mg/h for 1 hour.

The first 500: initial experience with widespread use of low-dose ketamine for acute pain management in the ED.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to describe the clinical use and safety profile of low-dose ketamine (LDK) (0.1-0.3 mg/kg) for pain management in the emergency department (ED).

Effective analgesia with low-dose ketamine and reduced dose hydromorphone in ED patients with severe pain.

Objective: We assessed the analgesic effect and feasibility of low-dose ketamine combined with a reduced dose of hydromorphone for emergency department (ED) patients with severe pain.

Methods: This was a prospective observational study of adult patients with severe pain at an urban public hospital. We administered 0.

Excited delirium.

Excited (or agitated) delirium is characterized by agitation, aggression, acute distress and sudden death, often in the pre-hospital care setting. It is typically associated with the use of drugs that alter dopamine processing, hyperthermia, and, most notably, sometimes with death of the affected person in the custody of law enforcement. Subjects typically die from cardiopulmonary arrest, although the cause is debated.

The utility of serial peak flow measurements in the acute asthmatic being treated in the ED.

Background: Peak flow is used extensively in emergency departments (EDs) to both assess asthma patient's status on arrival as well as to document clinical improvement during treatment. Many algorithms suggest serial peak expiratory flow (PEF) measurements during an ED stay.

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the contribution of serial PEF in describing the overall improvement of asthmatics over the course of an ED visit for acute exacerbation of their asthma.