Low-dose ketamine comparable to opioids for pain relief

A study published in Academic Emergency Medicine examined whether low-dose ketamine is as effective as opioids for acute pain control in the emergency department.

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Researchers conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials comparing intravenous opioids to low-dose ketamine for pain relief in the ED. They identified three studies for inclusion in a meta‐analysis.

The study shows ketamine was not inferior to morphine with regard to pain scale reduction. However, while no severe adverse events were reported in any study, higher rates of non-severe adverse events were observed with ketamine.

“Ketamine is noninferior to morphine for the control of acute pain,” study authors concluded.

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