title: Use of ketamine in acute severe asthma.
abstract: Two patients with acute severe asthma, who failed to respond to conventional therapy, were given intravenous ketamine in sub-anaesthetic doses with good results. A bolus dose of 0.75 mg/kg was followed by the same dose over 10 min with relief of bronchospasm in both cases. An infusion of ketamine at a rate of 0.15 mg/kg/h was used in each case to prevent recurrence of bronchospasm. Intravenous ketamine can be used to relieve acute intractable bronchospasm provided expert anaesthetic help is at hand. A review of the literature concerning its use in such situations is also presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthetics, Piteå General Hospital, Sweden.
authors.forename: V J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Sarma
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001986:Bronchial Spasm / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D007649:Ketamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D007649:Ketamine