VUMC: Sedative choice could improve outcomes for breathing tube patients

Dec 2025

Posted on December 10, 2025May 26, 2026 by briserv

It’s the first study to demonstrate cardiovascular risks of high doses of ketamine (low blood pressure, arrhythmia), side effects that have not been well studied in the past.Share:Share on Facebook Share on Bsky Share on X Share on LinkedIn Share via Email

Doctors treating seriously ill patients in an emergency setting may want to give the sedative etomidate, rather than ketamine, while placing a breathing tube, according to a randomized trial published Dec. 10 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The Randomized Trial of Sedative Choice for Intubation (RSI) is the first multicenter trial to demonstrate significant cardiovascular risks of high doses of ketamine (low blood pressure, arrhythmia), side effects that have not been well studied in the past.

Outlet: VUMC Press Release