Common Anesthetic Can Reduce Severe Pain

A study has found that a common anesthetic drug, ketamine, was able to give some patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) complete relief, relief that lasted in some instances as long as six months.

CRPS is a disorder associated with severe chronic pain that is resistant to conventional therapies. CRPS is also known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD). The study involved 33 patients with unrelenting CRPS, who underwent a low-dose infusion of ketamine. After only one treatment, there was complete relief in 76% of the group, while 54% remained free of pain for more than three months, and 31% for more than six months. Outcome was improved by a second treatment. In this group, 58% remained pain free for more than a year, and almost 33% experienced relief for more than three years. Side effects included a feeling of inebriation and, less frequently, hallucinations, dizziness, light-headedness, and nausea. The results were reported in the September 2004 issue of Pain Medicine.

"Ultimately, we want to find a way to improve the quality of life for those who suffer with intolerable and endless CRPS--that is our hope,” said corresponding author Ronald E. Harbut, M.D., Ph.D., of Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (Hershey, PA, USA; www.hmc.psu.edu). "Certainly more study is needed to further establish the safety and efficacy of this novel approach.” A large clinical study is currently under development at the center.




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Penn State Hershey Medical Center