Efficacy and Safety of Intravenous Ketamine Anaesthesia in a Suburban Nigerian Hospital

This retrospective study aimed to highlight the experience of intravenous ketamine use in a general practice hospital in Auchi, Nigeria. From January 1994 to January 2014, case records of all patients who were operated on with intravenous ketamine were collected, and pertinent data was taken for the study. A total of 1,370 patients were operated on, with 463 (33.8%) major surgeries and 907 (66.2%) intermediate/minor operations. Females (725 [53.0%]) were operated on more than males (645 [47.0%]). In 31 individuals, side effects included transient increase of blood pressure with mild tachycardia, postoperative disorientation and confusion, emergent delirium, and priapism. In these patients, intravenous ketamine anaesthesia is found to have great clinical efficacy and safety.