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Ketamine anesthesia viable for pediatric procedures in developing world
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KATHMANDU, Nepal — Ketamine can be used effectively for both intraocular and extraocular surgery in pediatric patients, provided the surgery is of short duration, according to surgeons here. A member of the surgical team should have some training in anesthetic resuscitation procedures, however.
M.S. Pun and colleagues here at Tilganga Eye Hospital reported on 679 children with a variety of ocular disorders, all of whom were given ketamine intravenously before intraocular or extraocular procedure.
None of the patients experienced anesthetic complications. Postoperative dysphoria occurred occasionally. The dysphoria was difficult to measure quantitatively, but it resolved by the first postop day.
The study is published in the May issue of British Journal of Ophthalmology.