Ep 102 - Ketamine for Agitation with Dr Crowe

Ep 102 - Ketamine for Agitation with Dr Crowe

From The EMS Lighthouse Project by Long Pause Media | FlightBridgeED

August 30, 2025 · 40 min · Episode 102

About this episode

Dr. Remle Crowe discusses the safety and adverse events associated with ketamine use for agitation based on a new study from Toronto.

You use ketamine. I use ketamine. We all use ketamine. But… how safe it is, really? A new study out of Toronto suggests 30% of patients who receive ketamine have adverse events, a rate higher than seen in the ED. What are we to make of this? I bring Dr Remle Crowe on to discuss… Citations: 1. Kwong JL, Verbeek PR, Leong YC, Turner L, Huiskamp M, Drennan IR, Francom S, Ropp S, Cheskes S: Paramedic use of ketamine for severe agitation and violence. Can J Emerg Med. doi: 10.1007/s43678-025-00963-w (Epub ahead of print). 2. Fernandez AR, Bourn SS, Crowe RP, Bronsky ES, Scheppke KA, Antevy P, Myers JB: Out-of-Hospital Ketamine: Indications for Use, Patient Outcomes, and Associated Mortality. Annals of Emergency Medicine. 2021;78(1):123–31. 3. Brown LH, Crowe RP, Pepe PE, Miller ML, Watanabe BL, Kordik SS, Wampler DA, Page DI, Fernandez AR, Bourn SS, et al.: Adverse events following emergent prehospital sedation of patients with behavioral emergencies: A retrospective cohort study. The Lancet Regional Health - Americas. 2022;May;9:100183.

People in this episode

Guest: Dr Remle Crowe

Topics covered

  • ketamine
  • agitation
  • adverse events
  • emergency medicine
  • patient safety

Keywords

  • ketamine
  • agitation
  • adverse events
  • emergency medicine
  • patient outcomes
  • sedation
  • behavioral emergencies

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Long Pause Media, FlightBridgeED

Books & works: Can J Emerg Med, Annals of Emergency Medicine, The Lancet Regional Health - Americas

Places: Toronto

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