Treatment of Behavior Disturbances with Ketamine in a Patient Diagnosed with Major Neurocognitive Disorder

A 77-year-old woman who had been previously diagnosed with a major neurocognitive disorder became highly agitated and aggressive in a long-term care facility. She did not respond to intramuscular (IM) haloperidol plus lorazepam and had to be transported to the local emergency department (ED). In the ambulance, she remained highly agitated and was given 200 mg IM ketamine. Within minutes of receiving this, she de-escalated dramatically with no apparent adverse effects and remained stable for several days. Although ketamine has been used recently in pre-hospital settings and EDs to reduce agitated behavior, there has been little if any investigation of its potential for reducing behavior disturbances in patients who suffer from major neurocognitive disorders. Ketamine could potentially be a promising treatment option for this population, but more research is needed.