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Mental health (patients)

Ketamine vs propofol for aeromedical psychiatric sedation

Ketamine Versus Propofol for Sedation in Acute Psychiatric Emergencies During Aeromedical Retrieval: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Prehospital Emergency Care · Added 27 July 2026

In this RCT of 170 patients, ketamine was associated with fewer adverse events compared to propofol when used for sedation during aeromedical retrieval of patients experiencing acute psychiatric agitation.

Study type

RCT

Design

Prospective single-centre open-label randomised controlled trial

Participants

170 agitated patients undergoing aeromedical retrieval

Main finding

Adverse events 12.4% with ketamine vs 24.7% with propofol (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.25-0.99, p=0.039); similar efficacy reaching target RASS (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.50-1.07); clinicians preferred propofol

Caveat

Stopped early due to low enrolment; open-label single-centre design

Bottom line

Hypothesis-generating

Learning goal

Weigh the safety and efficacy of ketamine against propofol when sedating patients with acute severe behavioural disturbance.

More

• Topic: Mental health (patients)
• Daily scan: 27 July 2026

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