Oral ketamine premedication in children (placebo controlled double-blind study)

Ketamine 3-6 mg kg-1 given by mouth to paediatric patients for anaesthetic premedication was evaluated. Forty-three children, ages 2-9 years were randomly allocated to receive either ketamine (3 or 6 mg kg-1) or placebo (cola 0.2 mL kg-1). Oral use of ketamine made separation from the families easier, gave an increased level of sedation, made acceptance of mask application easier and improved the emotional state in the recovery phase. These improvements were present with ketamine 3 mg kg-1 and 6 mg kg-1 in comparison with the placebo. We conclude that 3 mg kg-1 ketamine given by mouth to premedicate paediatric patients is as effective as 6 mg kg-1 but has a decreased incidence of side effects such as nystagmus and vomiting.