Key takeaways:

• In the ketamine group, 28.1% died in the hospital by day 28 vs. 29.1% in the etomidate group.
• More patients assigned ketamine vs. etomidate had a greater than 30 mm Hg reduction in systolic blood pressure.

Perspective from Robert Glatter, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

In-hospital mortality by day 28 did not significantly differ based on use of ketamine or etomidate to induce anesthesia in critically ill adults undergoing intubation, according to results published in The New England Journal of Medicine.