Ketamine's respiratory effects include which of the following?

Ketamine's respiratory effects include which of the following?

• A. Maintains Respiratory Drive
• B. Causes Apnea
• C. Bronchodilation
• D. Severe Hypoventilation

Answer: (A)

Ketamine tends to preserve spontaneous ventilation and airway reflexes, so its respiratory effect is best described as maintaining respiratory drive. This means patients often continue to breathe actively on their own, with tidal volumes and minute ventilation that remain adequate without requiring assisted ventilation. In practice, this is a defining advantage of ketamine compared with many other anesthetics that depress respiration. Bronchodilation is also a known positive respiratory effect of ketamine, helping reduce airway resistance, which is beneficial in certain patients with reactive airways. However, the most characteristic and reliable feature is the preservation of spontaneous breathing, making apnea or severe hypoventilation uncommon under typical dosing. Those issues are more attributable to other agents or to overdose/combination with sedatives. So the best description is that ketamine maintains respiratory drive.

Ketamine tends to preserve spontaneous ventilation and airway reflexes, so its respiratory effect is best described as maintaining respiratory drive. This means patients often continue to breathe actively on their own, with tidal volumes and minute ventilation that remain adequate without requiring assisted ventilation. In practice, this is a defining advantage of ketamine compared with many other anesthetics that depress respiration.

Bronchodilation is also a known positive respiratory effect of ketamine, helping reduce airway resistance, which is beneficial in certain patients with reactive airways. However, the most characteristic and reliable feature is the preservation of spontaneous breathing, making apnea or severe hypoventilation uncommon under typical dosing. Those issues are more attributable to other agents or to overdose/combination with sedatives.

So the best description is that ketamine maintains respiratory drive.