Since 2016, the Ketamine Clinic of Hawaii has been providing Ketamine Infusions for the treatment of chronic pain, depression, anxiety disorders and PTSD, when traditional treatments have failed to help.
Scientific reports from leading institutions such as Yale University, Thomas Jefferson University, and Harvard University have provided evidence supporting the relief obtained from Ketamine Infusion when traditional treatments have failed. The patients receiving Ketamine Infusions are those who have found little to no relief with the standard treatment or those who were found to be resistant to pain medications and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
Ketamine Infusion Therapy as a Service
While providing Ketamine Infusion Therapy as an integral piece to the patients’ total care, we do not treat the patient as their primary care physician. Our service is provided in addition to the treatment plan their health care professional has in place. The patient will return to their referring physician or health care professional with a complete report of the treatments that were carried out at the Ketamine Clinic of Hawaii.
Evaluation and Follow Up Care
Our clinic does not provide mental health care services or chronic pain management. Thus, the majority of our Ketamine patients do require a follow-up care and evaluation from their referring physician or health care professional.
Our Clinic
As a crucial part of the Ketamine Infusion, our clinic is equipped with the proper nursing and medical staff along with the required safety equipment (crash carts, defibrillators, infusion regulated IV pumps, etc.), to make the patients’ experience as safe and pleasurable as possible. Our medical director has over thirty years administering Ketamine as a surgeon and we are completely knowledgeable in acute care with resuscitation protocols.
Ketamine Infusion Data
At the Ketamine Clinic of Hawaii, a detailed case load documents the trends and results achieved with patients thus far. This data shows that patients being treated for depression and chronic pain account for the majority of our Ketamine treatments. Our clinic is actively working towards accumulating data from our patients for future research and publication.
Treatment Data Details and Notes
Following the completion of the initial protocol, measurements and follow-up data were taken 24-48 hours later. As each patient’s needs vary, follow up treatments are recommended every 2 weeks to 6 months based on their needs and ability to maintain post-treatment pain or depression levels.
Treatment Failures
From the 50 patients who received Ketamine treatment thus far, there were 10 treatment failures. These patients were unable to continue their prescribed treatment plans often due to geographical or financial constraints.
Complications
There have been no significant complications during the Ketamine Infusion with our patients thus far. Minor side effects such as slight nausea, increased heart rate or blood pressure have been recorded but have, however, been treated or resolved with no issues or interruptions to the treatment. To date, none of our patients have discontinued treatment due to medical or psychological reasons.
Severe Depression Treatment
Of the 50 treated patients, 18 have been treated for severe depression. Prior to starting any Ketamine Infusions, the average Montgomery-Asberg depression scale score was found to be 40. The same scale was used post-treatment where the average score was calculated to be 22. These numbers show an average improvement of 18 points on the MA depression scale.
Chronic Pain Treatments
In addition, 22 of the 50 treated patients have been treated for chronic pain. Using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale, the average pre-treatment score was calculated to be 8. Following treatment, the same scale was used to calculate a post-treatment average where the score was found to be 3. Thus, the average improvement for chronic pain patients was found to be of 5 points on a 1-10 numeric scale.