Logo American Journal of Case Reports

Call: 1.631.629.4328
Mon-Fri 10 am - 2 pm EST

Contact Us

Logo American Journal of Case Reports Logo American Journal of Case Reports Logo American Journal of Case Reports

03 January 2018 : Case report  USA

Accidental Ketamine Overdose on Induction of General Anesthesia

Diagnostic / therapeutic accidents, Clinical situation which can not be reproduced for ethical reasons

Lindsay L. Warner1ABCDEF*, Nathan Smischney1ABCDEFG

DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.906205

Am J Case Rep 2018; 19:10-12

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Ketamine is used as an induction and sedation agent in emergency departments and operating rooms throughout the country. Despite its widespread clinical use, there are few cases of significant morbidity and mortality attributed to ketamine overdose in the clinical setting.

CASE REPORT: The anesthesia provider in the room was an oral maxillofacial surgeon who inadvertently took out a more highly concentrated bottle of ketamine that is typically used for pediatric patients. The patient received 950 mg (100 mg/ml concentration) of intravenous ketamine instead of the intended 95 mg (10 mg/ml concentration). After the ketamine was given, there were no signs to any involved provider that a mistake had occurred until the wake-up appeared to be unusually prolonged.

CONCLUSIONS: Despite this, the patient did not demonstrate any systemic effects such as hemodynamic or CNS perturbations other than prolonged awakening. This case highlights one (drug overdose) of many causes of delayed emergence from anesthesia and reminds the provider caring for the patient to be mindful of drug concentrations used when preparing to sedate a patient, as relying on effects of the parent drug is not always adequate.

Keywords: Ketamine, Medication Errors

Add Comment 0 Comments

In Press

Case report  Italy

Optimizing Surgical Techniques for Anal Canal Duplications in 2 Pediatric Patients

Am J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.945747  

Case report  China

A 73-Year-Old Man Presenting with Shoulder Muscle Pain and a Diagnosis of Guillain-Barré Syndrome

Am J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.945539  

Case report  China

Diagnostic Challenges in Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: A Case Study of Typical Clinical Presentation ...

Am J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.945795  

Case report  China

Minimally Invasive Management of Infantile Dacryocystitis with Lacrimal Abscess: A Case Report

Am J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.946588  

Most Viewed Current Articles

21 Jun 2024 : Case report  China (mainland) 88,518

Intracranial Parasitic Fetus in a Living Infant: A Case Study with Surgical Intervention and Prognosis Anal...

DOI :10.12659/AJCR.944371

Am J Case Rep 2024; 25:e944371

0:00

07 Mar 2024 : Case report  USA 50,005

Neurocysticercosis Presenting as Migraine in the United States

DOI :10.12659/AJCR.943133

Am J Case Rep 2024; 25:e943133

0:00

20 Nov 2023 : Case report  Saudi Arabia 25,154

Azithromycin Treatment for Acne Vulgaris: A Case Report on the Risk of Clostridioides difficile Infection

DOI :10.12659/AJCR.941424

Am J Case Rep 2023; 24:e941424

0:00

18 Feb 2024 : Case report  Japan 22,640

A Case of Thoracic Empyema Caused by Actinomyces naeslundii

DOI :10.12659/AJCR.943030

Am J Case Rep 2024; 25:e943030

0:00

Your Privacy

We use cookies to ensure the functionality of our website, to personalize content and advertising, to provide social media features, and to analyze our traffic. If you allow us to do so, we also inform our social media, advertising and analysis partners about your use of our website, You can decise for yourself which categories you you want to deny or allow. Please note that based on your settings not all functionalities of the site are available. View our privacy policy.

American Journal of Case Reports eISSN: 1941-5923
American Journal of Case Reports eISSN: 1941-5923