Pain
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Ketamine for refractory chronic pain: a one-year follow-up study.
Ketamine is often used in pain clinics for refractory chronic pain, but its long-term efficacy is poorly reported. The main objective was to assess the long-term effect of ketamine on pain and health variables in patients with refractory chronic pain. A prospective, multicenter, 1-year follow-up observational study (NCT03319238) was conducted in 30 French pain clinics where ketamine is commonly prescribed. ⋯ Adverse events occurred at 1 week in 108/218 [50%] patients, and this rate gradually decreased throughout the follow-up. This real-life study in chronic pain identified distinct pain trajectories and predictive variables of ketamine efficacy. It is now pivotal to further study and optimize the subtyping of patients to provide the most effective and safe ketamine treatment in this vulnerable population.