Ketamine Hydrochloride (Noun)
Meaning
A general anesthetic and tranquilizer (not a barbiturate) that is administered intravenously or intramuscularly; used mainly by veterinarians or for minor surgery with geriatric or pediatric patients; taken in large doses it causes hallucinations similar to those associated with the use of PCP.
Classification
Nouns denoting man-made objects.
Examples
- Ketamine hydrochloride is often used in veterinary medicine to sedate animals before surgery.
- The anesthesiologist decided to use ketamine hydrochloride instead of a barbiturate to induce anesthesia in the elderly patient.
- Ketamine hydrochloride is a dissociative anesthetic that can cause hallucinations and a sense of detachment from reality.
- The doctor administered ketamine hydrochloride intravenously to the young child before performing the minor surgical procedure.
- In large doses, ketamine hydrochloride can produce a state of "dissociative anesthesia," which is characterized by catalepsy, catatonia, and hallucinations.