Ketamine is an old drug, but a good drug. Patients often complain it makes them feel nasty but it greatly relieves pain without having negative effects on blood pressure and heart rate, and does NOT cause respiratory depression. This can be critical when you're dealing with trauma. When you have a bad fracture-dislocation (such as an ankle F-D) you need to get it reduced asap to restore circulation and to prevent nerve damage. Ketamine gives docs the ability to do that. Most of the drugs we have historically used to reduce fractures/ dislocations in the ER produce one or all of these negative effects, but ketamine gives us a fast "out" when we need it. .
Thanks for the comments, Doctor. Ketamine is used extensively in veterinary medicine because of the reasons you elucidated. Most commonly used as part of a multi-drug combo with sedatives nowadays.
Early in my career used a lot of it by itself on feline patients. I think those kitties were trippin' during recovery!
