Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T12:17:50.186Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Ketamine (“Ketalar”): A Safer Anaesthetic for ECT

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

C. L. Brewer*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston 7, Jamaica, West Indies
J. R. T. Davidson*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston 7, Jamaica, West Indies
S. Hereward
Affiliation:
University Hospital of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston 7, Jamaica, West Indies
*
Presently Midland Nerve Hospital, Birmingham B15 2NJ
Presently Registrar, Royal Edinburgh Hospital

Extract

Ketamine (‘Ketalar’), a recently introduced phencyclidine derivative, is a dissociative anaesthetic agent with a number of unique and useful properties. Its most important advantages are the relatively good preservation of the swallowing and cough reflexes, and its rapid absorption following intramuscular injection. In addition, it has little depressant effect on respiration, while blood pressure is usually raised (Morgan et al., 1971; Bovill et al., 1971). It also has the effect of increasing muscular tone, thus preventing airway obstruction by the tongue.

Type
Abstract
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1972 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Albin, M. S., and Dresner, A. J. (April 1969). ‘L'anesthésie vigile et subvigile.’ Paper delivered to International Symposium, Ostend.Google Scholar
Bovill, J. G., Coppel, D. L., Dundee, J. W., and Moore, J. (1971). ‘Current status of ketamine anaesthesia.’ Lancet, i, 1285–8.Google Scholar
Morgan, M., Loh, L., Singer, L., and Moore, P. H. (1971). ‘Ketamine as the sole anaesthetic for minor surgical procedures.’ Anaesthesia, 26, 2, 158–65.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Orecchia, C., Marullo-Reedtz, G., and Bram, S. (1969). ‘Anaesthesia in specialised medicine; CI-581 and electroconvulsant therapy.’ Minerva Anaesthesiologia, 35(7), 711–33.Google Scholar
Taylor, P. A., and Towey, R. M. (1971). ‘Depression of laryngeal reflexes during ketamine anaesthesia.’ Brit. med. J., ii, 688–9.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.