Ketamine is a short-acting anesthetic agent that was first reported more than 50 years ago. The use of this drug has evolved and sub-anesthetic doses of ketamine are now routinely used in the treatment of neuropathic pain and as an opioid-sparing approach to pain control. The use of low-dose ketamine in the treatment of depression, suicidal ideation, and PTSD is also rapidly gaining acceptance. The goals of this presentation are to examine the transition of ketamine from an anesthetic agent to a promising new drug in psychiatry and to explore other potential uses of the drug. In order to achieve these goals, the presentation is designed to answer the following questions:
- What are scientific paradigms and why are they important in clinical practice?
- What is the “Ketamine Paradigm” and does it work?
- Do we know how ketamine works in the clinical treatment of depression, PTSD, pain? Why should we care?
- Where is ketamine going in the treatment of CNS disorders?
Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds: Ketamine in Psychiatry
Presenter: Irving Wainer, PhD
Adjunct Professor, Department of Anesthesiology
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Dean’s Conference Room
E&R Building
Camden