title: Ketamine hydrochloride--an adjunct for analgesia in dogs with burn wounds.
abstract: The management of pain in patients with burn wounds is complex and problematic. Burn-wound pain is severe, inconsistent and underestimated. Patients experience severe pain, especially during procedures, until wound healing has occurred. A multi-modality approach is needed for effective management of pain, which requires an understanding of the mechanisms of pain. Altered pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in burn-wound patients makes drug actions unpredictable. Opioids alone are seldom sufficient for pain control. The multi-modality approach includes the use of opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic and alternative drugs. Ketamine has been found to be a useful agent for analgesia in burn-wound patients; a dose of 10 mg/kg qid per os was found to be an effective adjunct to pain therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Joubert
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002056:Burns / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D004285:Dogs / Q000293:injuries*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D007649:Ketamine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009020:Morphine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D007649:Ketamine; D009020:Morphine