The Ketamine Litmus Test: Tranquilizing Patients Safely

The ketamine litmus test helps determine who needs tranquilization with ketamine. It is important to use ketamine appropriately, as it can be risky when used in high doses on non-intubated individuals. Monitoring is required during dissociation. For disruptive but non-dangerous patients, it's better to let them sleep it off and provide guidance. However, for dangerously agitated or potentially dangerous patients, immediate control and high-level monitoring are necessary. These are separate goals that require different strategies.