Unexpected consequences: A case of ketamine‑induced seizure in procedural sedation
Adem Az1
, Yunus Doğan2
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Haseki Training and Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Türkiye
2Department of Emergency Medicine, Mus State Hospital, Mus, Türkiye
Keywords: Adverse effect, ketamine, procedural sedation, seizure
Abstract
This case report describes a 32 year old male who underwent ketamine procedural sedation and experienced a generalized tonic–clonic seizure. Despite its rapid onset and favorable tolerance profile, this case emphasizes the potential convulsive side effects of ketamine, which is commonly used for procedural sedation. While ketamine has shown promise in treating acute pain, refractory status epilepticus, and treatment resistant depression and schizophrenia, it is associated with side effects such as hallucinations, visual disturbances, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. The patient in this case received a carefully titrated dose of 40 mg of ketamine intravenously and underwent successful shoulder reduction while under sedation. However, within 60 s of receiving the ketamine, the patient experienced a 60 s seizure that was stopped with the administration of 5 mg of diazepam intravenously. The patient was hospitalized for further evaluation, including an electroencephalography (EEG) that showed no abnormalities. This case highlights the need for health care professionals to be aware of the potential convulsive side effects of ketamine and to carefully monitor patients who receive ketamine sedation.
How to cite this article: Az A, Doğan Y. Unexpected consequences: A case of ketamine-induced seizure in procedural sedation. Turk J Emerg Med 2024;24(4):259-61.
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AA: Data collection, data improvement, original draft writing, review writing, and editing, final approval. YD: Data collection, software, data improvement, review writing and editing, and final approval.
None declared.
None.