An adult in the emergency department requires opioid-sparing analgesia for a painful procedure while breathing room air. The appropriate sub-dissociative intravenous dose range of ketamine is:

• A 0.01 to 0.05 mg/kg
• B 0.1 to 0.3 mg/kg ✓
• C 1 to 2 mg/kg
• D 3 to 5 mg/kg

Explanation

Sub-dissociative or low-dose ketamine of 0.1 to 0.3 mg/kg intravenously provides effective analgesia while preserving airway reflexes, respiratory drive and consciousness. The 1 to 2 mg/kg range produces full dissociative anaesthesia, and 3 to 5 mg/kg is a deepening anaesthetic dose. Doses below 0.1 mg/kg are generally insufficient for meaningful analgesia in adults.

Reference: Stoelting's Pharmacology and Physiology in Anesthetic Practice, 5th ed.

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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.