McGuinness SK, Wasiak J, Cleland H, Symons J, Hogan L, Hucker T, Mahar PD, et al.
Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.). Date of publication 2011 Oct 1;volume 12(10):1551-8.
1. Pain Med. 2011 Oct;12(10):1551-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2011.01220.x. Epub
2011 Aug 31.
A systematic review of ketamine as an analgesic agent in adult burn injuries.
McGuinness SK(1), Wasiak J, Cleland H, Symons J, Hogan L, Hucker T, Mahar PD.
Author information:
(1)Department of Anaesthesia & Peri-Operative Medicine, The Alfred Hospital,
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. siobhan.mcguinness@gmail.com
OBJECTIVE: To assess the current literature regarding the effectiveness and
side-effect profile of intravenous ketamine as a means of pain relief when
compared with placebo or as an adjunct to opioid analgesia in patients exposed to
burn injury.
DESIGN: Electronic searches of MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, and The Cochrane Library
databases from 1966 onward were used to identify clinical trials comparing
ketamine with placebo in the adult burn population.
OUTCOMES MEASURED: Effectiveness and side-effect profile of ketamine as an
analgesic agent in burn injuries.
RESULTS: Four experimental trials involving 67 patients were identified. Due to
heterogeneity of studies, pooling of the results and meta-analysis were not
possible. Intravenous ketamine showed some efficacy as an analgesic for burn
injuries, with a reduction in secondary hyperalgesia when compared with opioid
analgesia alone. Combination therapy of ketamine and morphine resulted in the
abolishment of windup pain phenomena. The side-effect profile did not result in
the withdrawal of any participants included in the studies' results.
CONCLUSIONS: Further well-designed randomized controlled trials conducted in
burn-specific populations are warranted, thus enabling the development of a
relevant evidence base to support its clinical use.
Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2011.01220.x
PMID: 21880111 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
