Combination Ketamine and Propofol vs Propofol for Emergency Department Sedation: A Prospective Randomized Trial

December 11, 2014 updated by: University of Utah
The purpose of this study is to determine if procedural sedation utilizing a 1:1 mixture of propofol and ketamine is equivalent in complications, patient and physician satisfaction, post-procedure pain level, and procedural outcome to propofol sedation alone.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Procedural sedation (PS) is common in the Emergency Department (ED) for painful or anxiety-producing procedures. In our ED these procedures commonly include fracture and dislocation management and reduction, abscess incision and drainage, lumbar puncture, extensive wound debridement, dilatation and curettage, chest tube placement and cardioversion. Generally a sedative-hypnotic agent is combined with an analgesic in order to provide this sedation. The ideal agents to utilize remain unclear. The ED environment is substantially different than the operative suite or many outpatient areas and literature from these areas has limited applicability.

In many ED's, including our own, propofol combined with either a short acting or long acting narcotic has become very commonly utilized. Propofol has many advantages including rapid onset, rapid recovery, strong sedative and amnestic properties, and euphoric effects. However like many sedative-hypnotics it possesses strong respiratory depressive properties and has cardio-depressant and vasodilatation effects that can lead to hypotension. These effects can be potentiated by concomitant narcotic administration as opioid agonists posses similar properties.2

ED literature on complications associated with propofol sedation is variable, secondary to significant differences in rapidity of administration of the medication, the type of analgesic provided, the definitions of complications, the amount of pre-oxygenation provided, and the variability in experience of medical providers. Most literature suggests that the overall rate of sub-clinical respiratory depression, measured by indicators such as end-tidal CO2 changes, is approximately 30-40% of patients1-3. The clinical importance of these changes is unclear. Clinical respiratory depression, measure by hypoxemia, need for verbal or tactile stimulation, bag valve mask ventilation (BVM), and airway positioning, is reported in 1-25% of patients, with the need for BVM ranging from 0-4.6% of patients1-6. It is noteworthy that one study, utilizing a slow infusion rate and only long-acting narcotics administered greater than 20 minutes prior to the start of sedation, prospectively demonstrated only a 0.88% rate of hypoxemia and a 0% rate of BVM while maintaining a similar total average dose, patient satisfaction, and successful outcome6. However this has not been replicated, and the data from other ED studies seems to suggest rates of clinical respiratory depression of 10-12% with BVM use averaging 4%1-6. The only clear conclusion to be drawn from the medical literature in this regard is that some respiratory depression and need for airway management can occur, but the rate is likely heavily dependent on exact protocols and definitions, make comparison between centers and studies difficult.

Because of interest in developing effective sedation regimens that might mitigate some of the complications of propofol plus narcotic regimens (hereafter termed propofol sedation), a technique of combining propofol and ketamine has been described for use in the ED. This combination is long-standing in some settings 7-10 and its use in the ED has been described 9,12,13. Ketamine is a dissociative hypnotic that acts by binding N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, blocking their excitatory function. It has analgesic, amnestic, and dissociative, effects 9-12. It has the beneficial properties of maintaining respiratory drive, maintaining muscular airway control while still providing pain relief and dissociation. Its use as a single agent for ED sedation in adults has been limited by concern about dysphoria at anesthetic doses as well as post-sedation nausea and vomiting. It can also cause tachycardia and hypertension. However the intuitive off-setting of the somewhat opposite side effects of propofol and ketamine have created significant interest in sedation regimens utilizing both agents. (ie propofol decrease heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), respiratory drive and airway maintenance, is euphoric and is an anti-emetic. Ketamine increases HR, BP and increases or maintains respiratory drive and airway maintenance, but is dysphoric and can be nauseating.) An ED study was published in 2007 describing the use of a fixed dose mixture of 1:1 propofol and ketamine (also termed "Ketofol") in a single syringe, allowing for easy dose titration 12. This study showed high patient and physician satisfaction (mean of 10 on a 1-10 scale), high rates of procedural success, and an extremely low rate of complications (2.5% rate of hypoxemia, 0.9% rate of BVM ventilation)12. Another study, in children with different dosing parameters, recently suggested a similarly low rate of BVM (0%) but a higher rate of respiratory depression (15%)13. Interestingly this study used a lower amount of ketamine and higher dose of propofol, which perhaps contributed to the increased rate of respiratory depression. Retrospective data from our use of fixed dose 1:1 ketamine and propofol demonstrates a similar safety profile with 7% of patients having some respiratory depression or requiring airway management and an absolute rate of 2% requiring BVM. We have commonly used this combination in our ED since 2007.

Currently in our ED both propofol sedation and ketamine plus propofol sedation are variably employed, depending mainly on prescriber preference. Because the literature has significant variability in the reported complication rates of the two regimens, no firm conclusion is possible about the relative equivalence or superiority of one regimen compared to the other. Attending physician preference currently dictates the choice of an agent for our patients in lieu of any robust evidence to guide our selection. Further, there is no data to measure the relative patient satisfaction and provider ease of utilization of either of these regimens, important factors in the selection of sedation agents.

We plan to conduct a prospective, randomized, equivalence trial of a fixed ratio of 1:1 ketamine and propofol vs propofol alone sedation. We will measure sub-clinical and clinical respiratory depression, the need for active airway management, unpleasant complications such as post-sedation nausea and vomiting, dysphoria and emergence reactions, patient and provider satisfaction, and post-procedure and follow up pain.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

99

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Utah
      • Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, 84132
        • University of Utah

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

16 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • English speaking patients eighteen and older who present to the University of Utah Emergency Department and require, in their treating physician's opinion, procedural sedation for a procedure or radiologic study performed in the Emergency Department.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Include prior sensitization or allergic reaction to propofol, ketamine, soy or egg products; hemodynamic instability; clinical evidence of head injury, increased intracranial or intraocular pressure; use of drugs known to interact with either study agent, pregnancy with a live intra-uterine pregnancy (i.e. undergoing Dilation and Curettage for intrauterine fetal demise or spontaneous abortion is not an exclusion criteria).

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: 1:1 ketamine - propofol mixture
Procedure: 1:1 ketamine-propofol mixture sedation

Prepare Ketamine and Propofol 10mg/cc of ketamine 10mg/cc of propofol mix 1:1 in 10 or 20 cc syringes Sedation Initial dose 0.05 cc / kg IV bolus. Repeat dose 0.025 - 0.05 every 60-90 seconds as needed to reach and maintain target level of sedation.

May round to nearest 0.5-1 cc. Note - 1 cc = 5mg of propofol and 5mg of ketamine

Other Names:
  • Ketofol
Active Comparator: propofol
Procedure: Propofol Sedation

Prepare Propofol 10mg/cc of propofol 10 or 20 cc syringes Sedation Initial dose 0.05 cc / kg IV bolus over 30 seconds. Repeat dose 0.025 - 0.05 cc/kg every 30-60 seconds as needed to reach and maintain target level of sedation.

May round to nearest 0.5 cc Note - 1 cc = 10 mg of propofol

Other Names:
  • Propofol

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
airway complications
Time Frame: within 12 months of study completion
The use of any: Adjunctive airway device (nasopharyngeal airway (NPA)/oropharyngeal airway (OPA), Jaw thrust or other airway maneuver., Use of Bag Valve Mask (BVM) for ventilation and reversal medications (i.e. Narcan).
within 12 months of study completion
subclinical respiratory depression
Time Frame: within 12 months of study completion
subclinical respiratory depression (hypoxemia despite supplemental oxygen noted on pulse-oximetry, loss of End-tidal carbon dioxide concentration in the expired air (ETCO2) waveform for 15 seconds or greater, systolic pressure (SBP) below 80mm Hg, cardiac arrhythmias.)
within 12 months of study completion
satisfaction
Time Frame: within 12 months of study completion
Following sedation, questionnaires were completed by the sedating physician, any consultant physician, nurse, and patient
within 12 months of study completion

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Utah

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Virgil Davis, MD, University of Utah
  • Principal Investigator: Scott Youngquist, MD MSc, University of Utah
  • Principal Investigator: Troy Madsen, MD, University of Utah
  • Principal Investigator: Anas Sawas, MS MPH, University of Utah
  • Principal Investigator: Matthew Ahern, DO, University of Utah

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

June 1, 2010

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2012

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 10, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 3, 2011

First Posted (Estimate)

January 4, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

December 12, 2014

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 11, 2014

Last Verified

December 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 39736

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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