# Multicenter Retrospective Review of Ketamine Use in Pediatric Intensive Care Units (Ketamine-PICU Study)

## TL;DR

This study examines how ketamine infusions affect pain management and medication use in critically ill children, finding initial benefits but calling for more research.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into ketamine's impact on pain scores and analgesic use in pediatric intensive care.

## Key findings

- Ketamine improved time in goal pain score range compared to before infusion.
- Morphine use decreased significantly in the first 24 hours of ketamine infusion.
- Common adverse effects included tachycardia and hypotension.

## Abstract

Describe continuous infusion (CI) ketamine practices in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) and evaluate its effect on pain/sedation scores, exposure to analgesics/sedatives, and adverse effects (AEs).

Multicenter, retrospective, observational study in children <18 years who received CI ketamine between 2014 and 2017. Time spent in goal pain/sedation score range and daily cumulative doses of analgesics/sedatives were compared from the 24 hours (H) prior to CI ketamine to the first 24H and 25−48H of the CI. Adverse effects were collected over the first 7 days of CI ketamine.

Twenty-four patients from 4 PICUs were included; median (IQR) age 7 (1-13.25) years, 54% female (n = 13), 92% intubated (n = 22), 25% on CI vasopressors (n = 6), and 33% on CI paralytics (n = 8). Ketamine indications were analgesia/sedation (n = 21, 87.5%) and status epilepticus (n = 3, 12.5%). Median starting dose was 0.5 (0.48–0.70) mg/kg/hr and continued for a median of 2.4 (1.3–4.4) days. There was a significant difference in mean proportion of time spent within goal pain score range (24H prior: 74% ± 14%, 0–24H: 85% ± 10%, and 25−48H: 72% ± 20%; p=0.014). A significant reduction in median morphine milligram equivalents (MME) was seen (24H prior: 58 (8–195) mg vs. 0–24H: 4 (0–69) mg and p=0.01), but this was not sustained (25−48H: 24 (2–246) mg and p=0.29). Common AEs were tachycardia (63%), hypotension (54%), secretions/suctioning (29%), and emergence reactions (13%).

Ketamine CI improved time in goal pain score range and significantly reduced MME, but this was not sustained. Larger prospective studies are needed in the pediatric population.