Ketamine for Acute Pain Management After Trauma

Ketamine for Acute Pain After Trauma: KAPT Trial

The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of Ketamine drip along with usual care and usual care alone on trauma patients and to longitudinally quantify the pain experience of patients during hospitalization.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult trauma patients
• Admission to Shock Trauma ICU (STICU) or Surgical Intermediate Unit (SIMU)
• Randomization within 6 hours of arrival

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patient not expected to survive
• Contraindications to ketamine Allergy, Poorly controlled hypertension, Cardiac arrhythmia disorders (including atrial fibrillation), congestive heart failure, unstable coronary artery disease or recent myocardial infarction( MI)(within 6 months), cirrhosis, seizure disorder, and for those patients with unknown medical history - median sternotomy scar, mechanism of injury is fall from standing, 65 years of age or older, any arrhythmia on EKD)
• pregnancy
• in police custody
• history of dementia or movement disorder (i.e. Parkinson's)