Episode 64: Ketamine and Dunning-Kruger

In the FOAMed world, nothing is more loved than ketamine. There have been multiple podcasts and talks about the drug, and it’s acquired a mythic status on the Internet med ed word.

But is what we think we know causing problems? Is the promise of ketamine as a drug the does it all lull us, and especially new clinicians, into a false sense of security? Has FOAMed put us on the wrong side of the Dunning-Kruger curve?

Ed and Dan discuss the facts and fallacies, and learn that we need to learn a lot more about this medication to master it.

Ketamine and PTSD in military personnel:

https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a480518.pdf

JEMS did a nice overview of ketamine, read it here:

https://www.jems.com/2017/01/31/ketamine-s-versatility-makes-it-a-powerful-tool-for-ems/

Dr. Reuben Strayer has done some amazing work on explaining the use of ketamine in the ED setting, and the lessons translate well to the prehospital sector.

Check out his site at www.emupdates.com below for great information:

https://emupdates.com/the-ketamine-brain-continuum/

Another excellent source, Dr. Strayer is on Dr. Scott Weingart’s EMCrit podcast talking about when to use ketamine for excited delirium. (Hint: not as much as you think!)

https://emcrit.org/emcrit/dangerous-and-disruptive/