Why ketamine is always used with an adjunct when anesthetizing animals, but often without in humans:
Ketamine is cheap, both as a substance and because it doesn’t require an anesthesiologist to administer. In some jurisdictions it doesn’t even require a doctor. Animal work is more cost-conscious and less outcome conscious, so it’s tilted towards the cheaper anesthetic.
New anesthetics for humans are often not tested in animals, so veterinarians have fewer options.
Doctors are very concerned that patients hate their experience not get addicted to medications, and ketamine can be enjoyable (although not physically addictive). Veterinarians are secure that even if your cat trips balls and spends the next six months desperate for ketamine, she will not have the power to do anything about it.
Pictured: a cat whose dealer won’t return her texts
ketamine is rare in that it acts as an anesthetic but not a muscle relaxant. For most surgeries, you want relaxed muscles, so you either combine the ketamine with a muscle relaxant or use another drug entirely. However there are some patients where relaxing muscles is dangerous (generally those with impaired breathing or blood pressure), in which case ketamine is your best option.
Ketamine is unusually well suited for emergency use, because it acts quickly, doesn’t require an anesthesiologist, and can be delivered via intramuscular injection as well as IV. In those emergencies, you’re not worried about what it can’t do.
Why ketamine is always used with an adjunct when anesthetizing animals, but often without in humans:
Ketamine is cheap, both as a substance and because it doesn’t require an anesthesiologist to administer. In some jurisdictions it doesn’t even require a doctor. Animal work is more cost-conscious and less outcome conscious, so it’s tilted towards the cheaper anesthetic.
New anesthetics for humans are often not tested in animals, so veterinarians have fewer options.
Doctors are very concerned that patients
hate their experiencenot get addicted to medications, and ketamine can be enjoyable (although not physically addictive). Veterinarians are secure that even if your cat trips balls and spends the next six months desperate for ketamine, she will not have the power to do anything about it.Pictured: a cat whose dealer won’t return her texts
ketamine is rare in that it acts as an anesthetic but not a muscle relaxant. For most surgeries, you want relaxed muscles, so you either combine the ketamine with a muscle relaxant or use another drug entirely. However there are some patients where relaxing muscles is dangerous (generally those with impaired breathing or blood pressure), in which case ketamine is your best option.
Ketamine is unusually well suited for emergency use, because it acts quickly, doesn’t require an anesthesiologist, and can be delivered via intramuscular injection as well as IV. In those emergencies, you’re not worried about what it can’t do.