We were never allowed to use Ketamine in the USAF for pilots for fear it might lead to loss of their flying status (dysphoria, hallucinations etc). I never used it without a benzodiazepine given first. Its a great drug for field surgery since it protects the airway and increases respiration as opposed to most anesthetics and doesn’t require a lot of equipment to administer. Like all drugs you have to know what it does good as well as what it does bad. This application seems a bit dodgy but I would want to see some studies.
Same here. As a flight surgeon it was permanent grounding for air crew. Certainly overkill. We are starting to use it in the ER for pain patients who we want to avoid giving narcs to. Use a low dose with a whiff of Ativan or Versed.