• Takayuki Kitamura, Gaku Kawamura, Shoko Iwanaga, Nagara Ohno, Makoto Ogawa, and Yoshitsugu Yamada.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655.
• Masui. 2008 Aug 1; 57 (8): 963-7.

BackgroundEffects of preoperative ketamine on postoperative pain in patients undergoing laparotomy have been controversial.MethodsFifty-two patients undergoing elective laparotomy were enrolled in this retrospective study. Patients were classified into 3 groups according to anesthetic management; patients received general anesthesia alone with preoperative ketamine (n = 20), patients received epidural blockade and general anesthesia with preoperative ketamine (n = 15), and patients received epidural blockade and general anesthesia without preoperative ketamine (n = 17). Among the three groups, we compared the parameters concerning postoperative pain managements; frequency of complaining about pain, opioid consumption, incidence of nausea and vomiting in the first 24 hours after laparotomy, and ability of ambulation on the first postoperative day.ResultsAmong the three groups, there were no significant differences in all parameters concerning postoperative pain management described above.ConclusionsResults of this study imply that preoperative ketamine may elicit preemptive analgesic effects, and can be an efficient adjuvant to postoperative pain management for patients undergoing laparotomy.

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