Haloperidol versus Ketamine for Managing Acute Agitation in the Emergency Department: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Bulletin of emergency and trauma January 1, 2025 Sayyed Majid Sadrzadeh, Ala Montazeri, Behrang Rezvani Kakhki et al.
For adults with acute agitation in emergency settings, intravenous ketamine (2 mg/kg) works faster than intravenous haloperidol (5 mg) at calming symptoms, as measured by the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale. In a trial of 120 patients, the haloperidol group's mean RASS score dropped from 1.73 to 0.07, while the ketamine group's score dropped from 1.58 to -0.92. Ketamine's quicker onset suggests it could be a first-line option when rapid control is critical.