Pain Societies Create Consensus Guidelines for Use of Ketamine in Pain Management

Three pain societies have come together to create consensus guidelines for treating both acute and chronic pain with ketamine, an old drug seeing a resurgence.

The ketamine guidelines were created by the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA) and the American Academy of Pain Medicine, along with the American Society of Anesthesiologists' Committees on Pain Medicine and Standards and Practice Parameters.

Ketamine infusions have been used since the 1960s for chronic pain, but the “widespread variability in patient selection, treatment parameters, and monitoring” related to the upswing in this generic drug creates the necessity for consensus guidelines for acute pain, the organizations said. The guidelines are in response to a need from healthcare providers, payers, patients with pain, and healthcare administrators about the use of ketamine, the ASRA said in a statement.

Click to continue reading on The American Journal of Managed Care.