title: Intravenous ketorolac for pain management in a ventilator-dependent patient with thermal injury.
abstract: A patient with a long-standing history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease suffered a thermal injury over 20% of his total body surface area. He required opiates for pain management and benzodiazepines for anxiety associated with dressing changes. The narcotics compromised his pulmonary function and level of consciousness, and interfered with several attempts to wean him from ventilator support. Intravenous ketorolac instead of narcotics before dressing changes alleviated the respiratory depression and returned his partial pressure of carbon dioxide-mediated respiratory drive to normal. With these changes, including changes in respiratory rate to tidal volume, he was successfully weaned from ventilatory support. In addition, the patient's level of consciousness improved. These changes increased his participation in his daily physical therapy sessions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Practice, Northeast Louisiana University 71209, USA.
authors.forename: H T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Ackerman
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Wardius
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Haith
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Patton
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D002056:Burns / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D020910:Ketorolac; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D014046:Tolmetin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015300:Ventilator Weaning / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D014046:Tolmetin; D020910:Ketorolac