Comparison of ketamine and thiopental in healthy volunteers: effects on mental status, mood, and personality
Moretti, R.J.; Hassan, S.Z.; Goodman, L.I.; Meltzer, H.Y.
Anesthesia and Analgesia 63(12): 1087-1096
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-2999 PMID: 6150660 Document Number: 222702
The purpose of this study was to compare the psychological effects of ketamine and thiopental anesthesia. In a double-blind comparison, 20 normal female volunteers were given 2.5 mg/kg ketamine intravenously and 20 were given 5.0 mg/kg thiopental intravenously. Subjects were assessed with a variety of objective and subjective psychological measures before, immediately after, and 24 hr, 2 weeks, and 4 months after anesthesia. Immediately after anesthesia, there was a significantly greater incidence of abnormalities of mental status in subjects given ketamine than in those who had received thiopental. Changes were generally short-lived and were no longer evident on the following day. No significant differences were found between the two groups with regard to long-term changes in personality. Changes in mental status are attributed to the slower, more uneven return to consciousness of the subjects receiving ketamine.