[Use of ketamine in cardiac surgery. A preliminary report]

The phencyclidine derivative, ketamine hydrochloride, combines cardiovascular stimulating effects with antiarrhythmic properties and, therefore, the drug has been shown to be a highly suitable anesthetic for coronary artery surgery. This intravenously and intramuscularly administered "dissociative" anesthetic selectively depresses pathways and regions of the central nervous system associated with pain conduction and perception, thereby avoiding undesirable total nervous system depression. 129 patients suffering from marked coronary artery insufficiency underwent aortocoronary by-pass surgery, ketamine being the main anesthetic agent. Ketamine-induced anesthesia proved to be a simple and safe method of pain control during coronary artery reconstructive surgery and, compared with halothane anesthesia, showed a marked reduction of postoperative mortality (5%).