Oral Ketamine for Treatment of Vaso-Occlusive Pain
Status:
Not yet recruiting
Trial end date:
2024-06-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
The purpose of this study is to learn more about the feasibility of oral ketamine for the
treatment of painful sickle-cell crises in children and adolescents as a supplement to
intravenous (IV) opioids. There is a need for improved non-opioid analgesia for patients
experiencing sickle-cell crises in the hospital and prehospital setting, as children and
adolescents with sickle cell disease who experience sickle-cell crises often have severe pain
that is not well controlled by high dose opioids, leading to poor pain management and
opioid-related side effects.
The study will begin when patients are admitted to the Emergency Department of Boston
Children's Hospital for treatment of a sickle-cell crisis. Oral ketamine will be administered
every 8 hours for the next 48 hours. Patients will have continuous cardiorespiratory
monitoring for the duration of the study, as per routine care, as well as monitoring by the
hospital's Acute Pain Service at least twice daily for pain management and side effects of
pain treatment.
At the end of the 48-hour study duration, patients will discuss with the Pain Service and
Hematology Service whether to continue oral ketamine, change to intravenous ketamine, or
discontinue ketamine based on clinical indications such as level of pain and sedation while
on opioids.