Negative results for ketamine use in severe acute bronchospasm: a randomised controlled trial

Wagner Nedel; Rafael Costa; Gabriela Mendez; Luiz Marin; Taiani Vargas; Leonardo Marques

eISSN: 1731-2515
ISSN: 0209-1712

Anestezjologia Intensywna Terapia

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3/2020
vol. 52

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abstract:

Original paper

Negative results for ketamine use in severe acute bronchospasm: a randomised controlled trial

Wagner L. Nedel

^{1, 2}

,

Rafael L. Costa

^{1, 3}

,

Gabriela Mendez

^{1, 4}

,

Luiz G. Marin

^{1, 4}

,

Taiani Vargas

¹

,

Leonardo da S. Marques

^{1, 5}

Intensive Care Unit, Grupo Hospitalar Conceição, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Postgraduation program in Biochemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Geral de Caxias do Sul, Caxias do Sul, Brazil
Intensive Care Unit, Hospital São Lucas da PUCRS, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Postgraduation program in Cardiology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

Anestezjologia Intensywna Terapia 2020; 52, 3: 217–220

Online publish date: 2020/08/06

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Background
Ketamine has bronchodilation properties. The aim of the single-centre, evaluator-blinded, randomised clinical trial study was to evaluate whether continuous infusion of ketamine is associated with improvement in respiratory mechanics correlated with bronchospasm relief, as compared with continuous infusion of fentanyl.

Methods
Adult patients submitted to invasive mechanical ventilation were included if they had an acute severe bronchospasm, due to status asthmaticus or COPD exacerbation. They were randomised to ketamine or a standard IV analgesia with fentanyl, both in bolus and continuous infusion. Measurements of respiratory mechanics (airway resistance – Rsmax, dynamic compliance – Cdyn and intrinsic PEEP – PEEPi) both at baseline and 3 and 24 h after randomisation were performed. The main outcome of this study was to evaluate the improvement of Rsmax in 3 h of continuous infusion of the study drugs.

Results
Ketamine use was not associated with greater reduction in Rsmax when compared with fentanyl, either after 3 h (0 cm H₂O L–1 s–1 ± 6 vs. –3 cm H₂O L–1 s–1 ± 7.7, respectively; P = 0.16) or after 24 h (–3 cm H₂O L–1 s–1 ± 17 vs. –3.5 cm H₂O L–1 s–1 ± 13.7, respectively; P = 0.73). Patients randomized to the ketamine group did not have better improvements in delta PEEPi as compared with fentanyl in 3 h (P = 0.77) or in 24 h (P = 0.72).

Conclusions
In this study, ketamine use was not associated with improvement in ventilatory variables associated with bronchospasm.

keywords:

Negative results for ketamine use in severe acute bronchospasm: a randomised controlled trial

Wagner L. Nedel 1, 2 , Rafael L. Costa 1, 3 , Gabriela Mendez 1, 4 , Luiz G. Marin 1, 4 , Taiani Vargas 1 , Leonardo da S. Marques 1, 5

ketamine, fentanyl, COPD, asthma, bronchospasm, mechanical ventilation

Wagner L. Nedel

^{1, 2}

,

Rafael L. Costa

^{1, 3}

,

Gabriela Mendez

^{1, 4}

,

Luiz G. Marin

^{1, 4}

,

Taiani Vargas

¹

,

Leonardo da S. Marques

^{1, 5}