Cardiothoracic & vascular anesthesia
Ketamine in Cardiac Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Effects on Inflammatory Markers and Clinical Outcomes
Pooled resultResult — go to the resultSMD −0.96 95% CI −2.56 to 0.65Authors' conclusion
Although ketamine's immunomodulatory effects were observed in selected subgroups, they did not translate into improved clinical outcomes.
Study context
- Population
- Patients undergoing cardiac surgery
- Participants
- 377 patients · 8 randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
- Comparison
- Intraoperative ketamine vs placebo
- Outcome
- IL-6 level
- Follow-up
- 24 hours postoperatively
Methodological detailsCertainty of evidence low to moderate owing to imprecision and inconsistency
- Certainty of evidence low to moderate owing to imprecision and inconsistency
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
SMD
−0.96
95% CI −2.56 to 0.65
Ketamine vs Placebo
SMD −0.96 (95% CI −2.56 to 0.65)
Further pooled results
| Outcome | MD (pg/mL) |
|---|---|
| IL-6 at 24 h, off-pump procedures (subgroup) · 24 hours postoperativelyI² = 0% · significant decrease | −59.57 |
IL-6 immediately after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and C-reactive protein (CRP) immediately after surgery
- Also reduced, but findings limited by high heterogeneity
Intensive care unit (ICU) LOS
- No significant difference (MD, days)
- −0.10
Ventilation time
- No significant difference (MD, hours)
- −0.86
Transfusion rates
- No significant difference (RR)
- 1.01
Original publication
Ketamine in Cardiac Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Effects on Inflammatory Markers and Clinical Outcomes. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. Published 1 October 2025. doi:10.
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