Rescue medics discover good use for notorious drug - 02 May 2008 - Topic
A notorious drug linked to date rape is being used by paramedics because it is a better painkiller than morphine in some emergencies.
The decision to use ketamine, which is also known as a party drug, follows a study by Auckland's Westpac rescue helicopter paramedics on 44 patients between January 2005 and October last year. Advanced paramedics from St John Ambulance are also now using the drug, and have trained about 160 staff nationwide to administer it.
Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust medical director Dr John Orton told the Herald that ketamine superseded morphine in many situations.
"Certain pains are fairly easily manageable with morphine-type drugs, but the excruciating acute pain of acute injury is extremely hard to get on top of with morphine," Dr Orton said.
"We're talking about 10 tonne tractors rolled on top of people ... or typical quad bike idiots on Muriwai Beach. They flip it and they've got two broken legs below the knee pointing at right angles but otherwise they're uninjured."You've got to straighten these limbs out and splint them. If you try to do that without this sort of agent, it's horrible - you cause excruciating discomfort. So to be able to do this in the field is a major bonus."KETAMINE
- Can be snorted, injected, smoked or put in liquid and drunk.
- Used as a party drug.
- Used by vets and doctors as an anaesthetic.
- Has been associated with date rape cases.
HOW IT HELPS
- Emergency services say it is ideal for rescues where patients:
- Are trapped in or under a vehicle, or in machinery.
- Where "angulated fractures" have occurred and broken bones must be straightened while a patient is conscious.
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