Objective: Inferior and limited analgesic options/techniques during living donor hepatectomy surgery can result in pain and risks of morbidity, opioid-related adverse events (AEs), predisposition to the development of chronic pain and concerns of potential narcotic abuse. Traditional analgesia uses unimodal intravenous opioids that can cause significant side effects. Ketamine provides analgesia and may be opioid sparing, but use in living-donor hepatectomy has not been studied.
Methods: Following human investigation committee approval and informed written consent, 47 liver donor patients over a 5-year period scheduled for surgery were categorized into one of three groups: 24 patients received no ketamine (Group 1), 9 received only intraoperative ketamine (Group 2) and 14 patients received intraoperative plus postoperative ketamine (Group 3). Subjects had access to opioid patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). Chart reviews (including operating room and intensive care unit) were collected and analysed for morphine consumption, pain-intensity scores, opioid-sparing effects, AEs of analgesics and for evidence of ketamine side effects on donor hepatectomy patients.
Results: There were no differences in patient demographics. Living donor hepatectomy patients receiving intraoperative ketamine that was continued postoperatively consumed fewer morphine-equivalents and had lower median pain scores than subjects from the other two groups. Ileus occurred in those not receiving ketamine, pruritus was lowest in Group 3, and there was no evidence or reports of ketamine-associated AEs.
Conclusion: Perioperative ketamine for donor hepatectomy patients could safely provide improved analgesia and be opioid sparing when compared to PCA opioids alone, and there is no evidence of ketamine-related AEs at the dose and delivery methods described here during partial liver donation surgery.
Keywords: Living-donor liver transplantation; ketamine; perioperative analgesia.