Abstract
Objective
The purpose of this trial was to clarify the effets of intravenous ketamine at anaesthetic and sub-anaesthetic dosages on gastrointestinal motility.
Design
20 beagles (group 1: 3 mg/ketamine/kg/h,n=10; group 2: 30 mg ketamine/kg/h,n=10), were investigated. Gastric emptying (nuclide gastric emptying studies, liquid and semi-solid test meal), intestinal transit time (Hydrogen breath test with lactulose) and intestinal motor function (perfusion manometry with 8 measuring ports) were determned. As a control condition, the tests were performed on all dogs in the two groups during infusion of physiological saline solution.
Results
No significant differences in the motility patterns were present between 3 mg ketamine/kg/h and the control condition. For group 2, a moderately significant (p<0.05) increase in the interdigestive motility index was observed for 30 mg k ketamine/kg/h. However, this did not change the transit criteria. There was no significant difference between ketamine and control condition tests with regard to cycle and phase lengths or the propagation rate of the activity front.
Conclusions
We conclude that ketamine provokes no basic changes in gastrointestinal motility, at either sub-anaesthetic doses. It can there-fore be used to advantage in the continuous postoperative analgesia of intensive care patients, where repeated interventions are necessary and no cardiopulmonary contraindications are present.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Corssen G, Miyasaka M, Domino EF (1968) Changing concepts in paincontrol during surgery: dissociative anesthesia with CI-581. Anesth Analg 47: 746–759
Marietta MP, Way WL, Castagnoli N Jr, Trevor AJ (1977) On the pharmacology of the ketamine enantiomorphs in the rat. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 202: 157–165
White PF, Way WL, Trevor AJ (1982) Ketamine — its pharmacology and therapeutic uses. Anesthesiology 56:119–136
Slogoff S, Allen GW, Wessels JV, Cheney DH (1974) Clinical experience with subanesthetic ketamine. Anesth Analg 53:354–358
Sadove MS, Shulman M, Hatano S, Fevold N (1971) Analgesic effects of ketamine administered in subdissociative doses. Anesth Analg 50:452–457
Ito Y, Ichiyanagi K (1974) Postoperative pain relief with ketamine infusion. Anaesthesia 29:222–229
Grant JS, Nimmo WS, Clements JA (1981) Pharmacokinetics and analgesic effects of i.m. and oral ketamine. Br J Anaesth 53:805–810
Galligan JJ, Burks TF (1983) Centrally mediated inhibition of small intestinal transit and motility by morphine in the rat. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 226: 356–361
Konturek SJ (1980) Opiates and the gastrointestinal tract. Am J Gastroenterol 74:285–291
Weisbrodt Nw, Sussman SE, Stewart JJ, Burks TF (1980) Effect of morphine sulfate on intestinal transit and myolectric activity of the small intestine in the rat. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 214: 333–338
Code Ch, Marlett JA (1975) The interdigestive myo-electric complex of the stomach and small bowel of dogs. J Physiol (London) 246:289–309
Finck AD, Ngai SH (1982) Opiate receptor mediation of ketamine analgesia. Anesthesiology 56:291–297
Lawrence D, Livingston A (1981) Opiate-like analgesic activity in general anaesthetics. Br J Pharmacol 73: 435–442
Smith DJ, Pekoe GM, Martin LL, Coalgate B (1980) The interaction of ketamine with the opiate receptor. Life Sci 26:789–795
Fratta W, Casu M, Balestrieri A, Loviselli A, Biggio G, Gessa GL (1980) Failure of ketamine to interact with opiate receptors. Eur J Pharmacol 61: 389–391
Wiley NJ, Downs DA (1982) Lack of antagonism by naloxone of the analgesic and locomotor stimulant actions of ketamine. Life Sci 31:1071–1075
Yamamura T, Harada K, Okamura A, Kemmotsu O (1990) Is the site of action of ketamine anesthesia the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor? Anesthesiology 72:704–710
Nagasaka H, Nagasaka I, Sato I, Matsumoto N, Matsumoto I, Hori T (1993) The effects of ketamine on the excitation and inhibition of dorsal horn WDR neuronal activity induced by bradykinin injection into the femoral artery in cats after spinal cord transsection. Anesthesiology 78:722–732
Grant IS, Nimmo WS, Clements JA (1981) Lack of effect of ketamine analgesia on gastric emptying in man. Br J Anaesth 53:1321–1323
Healy TEJ, Foster GE, Evans DF, Syed A (1981) Effect of some anaesthetic agents on canine gastrointestinal motility. Br J Anaesth 53:229–233
Dick W, Hofmann S (1970) Der Einfluß von Dehydrobenzperidol, Fentanyl und Ketamine auf die Darmmotilität bei Hundesäuglingen. Anaesthesist 19: 205–208
Takahashi RN, Morato GS, Rae GA (1987) Effects of ketamine on nociception and gastrointestinal motility in mice are unaffected by naloxone. Gen Pharmacol 18:201–203
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Parts of this study have been presented on the 6th European Symposium on Gastrointestinal Matility, Barcelona 1992
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fass, J., Bares, R., Hermsdorf, V. et al. Effects of intravenous ketamine on gastrointestinal motility in the dog. Intensive Care Med 21, 584–589 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01700164
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01700164