Catatonia-Like Syndrome Treated With Low-Dose Ketamine.
Journal of Emergency Medicine January 27, 2020 K. Iserson, Dellon Durga
A 23-year-old man who suddenly stopped speaking and had a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8 was brought to an emergency department. He was verbally unresponsive, refused to open his eyes, and showed waxy flexibility of his arms, but other exams were normal. Suspecting catatonia, clinicians administered low-dose ketamine boluses: 12.5 mg intravenously in divided doses. After this, he became conscious and verbal. Psychiatry later confirmed catatonia. The case suggests that subanesthetic doses of ketamine can rapidly resolve catatonia-like states in emergency settings, offering a safe, familiar intervention that can help confirm a psychiatric cause or rule out life-threatening illnesses.