Question: When should ketamine be avoided?

Answer:

• For spontaneous ventilation anaesthesia in severe raised intracranial pressure e.g. due to closed head injury
• Ketamine may cause apnoeas in neonates
• The effects of ketamine may be unpredictable in children with developmental delay

Relative contraindications to ketamine also include:

• Absence of appropriate equipment or trained personnel
• Hypertension
• Stroke
• Head trauma
• Acute porphyria