Cerebral blood flow and metabolism following ketamine administration.

The effects of ketamine on cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral metabolic rate (CMRO2) and intracranial pressure (ICP) were evaluated in ventilated or spontaneously breathing goats after peripheral administration of 5 mg . kg-1 and central administration of 0.1-2.0 mg. In mechanically ventilated normocarbic goats intravenous ketamine 5 mg . kg-1 had no effect on CBF, but did produce a significant reduction in CMRO2 (4.3 +/- 0.4 vs 3.7 +/- 0.3 ml O2 . min-1/100 g) five minutes after injection. However, in spontaneously breathing goats, ketamine caused a significant increase in CBF (77 +/- 7 vs 109 +/- 12 ml . min-1/100 g), a significant reduction in CMRO2 (4.3 +/- 0.3 vs 3.8 +/- 0.4) and an increase of PCO2 from 4.5 +/- 0.5 to 5.4 +/- 0.9 kPa (34 +/- 4 to 41 +/- 7 torr). Small doses of ketamine (0.1-2.0 mg) injected directly into the cerebral circulation failed to cause any significant change in CBF. Intracranial pressure showed a significant increase from 13 +/- 3 to 19 +/- 3 mm Hg in spontaneously breathing goats and no change in ventilated goats. These data suggest that ketamine is a mild depressant of cerebral metabolic rate and has no other cerebral vascular effects.