The Use of Ketamine Infusions for Chronic Pain

Abstract

Chronic pain is an ongoing problem in the United States that affects millions of Americans. In 2016, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 50 million Americans suffer from chronic pain (Dahlhammer, 2018). Often a diagnosis of chronic pain means a lifetime of costly treatments and time spent trying to find a cure, or even just some relief. One emerging treatment for chronic pain has been the use of Ketamine intravenous (IV) infusions to relieve pain without resorting to further surgeries or opiate usage. While Ketamine infusions have shown great potential for relieving chronic pain, it is still a relatively new procedure, and many questions remain about the efficacy of its use. The purpose of this Evidence-Based Practice review is to examine the question of: in patients with chronic pain, do Ketamine infusions compared to no Ketamine infusions provide better pain relief? Nurses or other healthcare providers can use this information to aid any patients they might have with intractable chronic pain by providing them with a new treatment option. This avant garde usage of Ketamine could help someone get the pain relief they may be desperate for.