SynthesisPloS one2016
The Effects of Low-Dose Ketamine on Acute Pain in an Emergency Setting: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 33 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
ED Treatment of Suicidal Patients With Ketamine Infusion
A Combination Study With Sub-Dissociative Ketamine and Fentanyl to Treat Moderate to Severe Pain in the Emergency Department
Intranasal Ketamine as a Supplement to Local Anesthesia to Reduce Pain Associated With Minor Procedures in the Emergency Department
Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 83 citations in OpenAlex.
- The 2023 WSES guidelines on the management of trauma in elderly and frail patients.World journal of emergency surgery : WJES · 2024Guideline
- Efficacy of Low-dose Ketamine for Control of Acute Pain in the Emergency Setting: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.The western journal of emergency medicine · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Trial
- Subanesthetic intravenous ketamine vs. caudal bupivacaine for postoperative analgesia in children undergoing infra-umbilical surgeries: a non-inferiority randomized, single-blind controlled trial.Korean journal of anesthesiology · 2022Trial
- Low-dose Ketamine Does Not Improve Migraine in the Emergency Department: A Randomized Placebo-controlled Trial.The western journal of emergency medicine · 2018Trial
- Trial
- A model to simulate cardio-respiratory responses to fentanyl analgesia after traumatic injury.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Management of Difficult Airway in a Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Patient With Limited Oral Access.Cureus · 2025Article
- Significant room for improvement in the prehospital assessment and treatment of acute abdominal pain: a retrospective observational study.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2025Observational
- Ketamine as adjunctive or monotherapy for post-intubation sedation in patients with trauma on mechanical ventilation: A rapid review.African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence · 2023Review
- Pain Management in Children Admitted to the Emergency Room: A Narrative Review.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Narrative Review: Low-Dose Ketamine for Pain Management.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Review
- Review
- Article
- Comparison of the Effect of Intravenous Fentanyl with Low-Dose Ketamine on Pain Relief in Patients Taking Methadone and Suffering from Limb Fractures.Advanced biomedical research · 2023Article
- Subdissociative-dose ketamine for sickle cell vaso-occlusive crisis: a narrative review for the emergency physician.Clinical and experimental emergency medicine · 2022Article
- Ketamine Improves Desensitization of µ-Opioid Receptors Induced by Repeated Treatment with Fentanyl but Not with Morphine.Biomolecules · 2022Article
- Non-parenteral Ketamine for Depression: A Practical Discussion on Addiction Potential and Recommendations for Judicious Prescribing.CNS drugs · 2022Article
- A survey of drug liking and cravings in patients using sublingual or intranasal ketamine for treatment resistant depression: A preliminary evaluation of real world addictive potential.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesCurrently ketamine is not used often as an analgesic in the emergency department (ED). Nonetheless, it can increase the efficiency of opioids and decrease their side effects. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate whether low-dose ketamine in the ED provides better analgesia with fewer adverse effects.
methodsThe PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched by two reviewers independently (last search performed on January 2016). Data were also extracted independently.
resultsA total of 6 trials involving 438 patients were included in the current analysis. Our subgroup analysis of pain reduction indicates that the favorable effects of ketamine were similar or superior to those of placebo or opioids, although these effects were heterogeneous. However, low-dose ketamine was associated with a higher risk of neurological (relative risk [RR] = 2.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.37-3.42, P < 0.001) and psychological events (RR = 13.86, 95% CI = 4.85-39.58, P < 0.001). In contrast, the opioid group had a higher risk of major cardiopulmonary events (RR = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.05-1.01, P = 0.05).
conclusionsThe efficiency of ketamine varies depending on the pain site, but low-dose ketamine may be a key agent for pain control in the ED, as it has no side effects. It may also help to reduce the side effects of opioids.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.