Physiologic monitoring during ketamine administration

The manuals converge on close physiologic monitoring during ketamine administration, with repeated attention to blood pressure, heart rate or pulse, respiration, oxygen saturation, and other vital signs. They also agree that monitoring continues during dosing and into the post-dose or recovery period, with observation for acute adverse effects such as dissociation, anxiety, confusion, nausea, vomiting, dysphoria, paranoia, or other instability. The sources differ mainly in emphasis and setting. Some describe structured medical oversight within multidisciplinary or medically supervised environments, including continuous anesthesiology presence, a medical practitioner on the premises, or hospital intensive care room use. Others place more emphasis on practical thresholds and escalation, such as repeated checks when blood pressure remains elevated, monitoring until vital signs return towards baseline, or keeping the participant on-site until safe discharge criteria are met. They also vary in how explicitly they frame the monitoring role. Some manuals focus on active medical monitoring integrated with therapy and group processes, while others specify exact time windows, such as two hours post-dose or pre-dose monitoring at set time points. A few extracts add post-session safety restrictions, like transport home and avoiding driving or vigorous activity, which are not stated in every source.