Is this the time to introduce ketamine in acute respiratory distress syndrome? A pilot study

Elhefny, Radwa A.; Elsonbaty, Mohamed; Nassib, Sherif; Mansour, Mohamed

doi:10.4103/1687-9090.165160

Is this the time to introduce ketamine in acute respiratory distress syndrome? A pilot study

Authors

Abstract

Introduction
Acute respiratory distress syndrome is regarded to be an acute, diffuse inflammation of the lung that leads to an increase in the permeability of the pulmonary vascular tissue. The relations between ARDS classes and the permeability of the pulmonary microvasculature as well as the water content of the pulmonary extravasculature remains to be clarified. The anti-inflammatory and the antioxidant properties of ketamine were observed in acute lung injury; ketamine promotes the attenuation of the expression of mediators of inflammation.
The aim of the work
The aim of this study was to test whether ketamine treatment by the inhaled route or the infusion route could be an efficient method of treatment for ARDS.
Participants and methods
Mechanically ventilated critically ill adult trauma patients admitted to the ICU with developing ARDS were eligible to participate in this study. Group A was treated by ketamine inhalation, group B was treated with ketamine infusion, and group C was treated by pulse steroid therapy. The serum interleukin-6 level was analyzed.
Results
Concerning group A (ketamine inhalation) and group B (ketamine infusion), there were significant correlations in both the groups starting from day 2 till day 5 of treatment with regard to the tidal volume and positive end-expiratory pressure and from day 3 of treatment with regard to the blood pressure and FiO.

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