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The South African Association of Anaesthetists (SASA) releases a statement on Ketamine Infusion
At KCSA we share SASA's commitment to patient safety. All of our doctors and anaesthetists are members of SOSPOSA (The Society of Sedation Practitioners of South Africa), a special interest group of SASA.
The APA releases guidelines on ketamine use for depression.
An international panel of mood disorder experts has, finally, published guidance on how to safely and effectively use intravenous ketamine to treat adults with TRD. Their article was published in March 2021 in the American Journal of Psychiatry. They cite insufficient evidence for oral, subcutaneous or intramuscular administration. They emphasize the importance of a safe clinical environment and administration of intravenous ketamine by appropriately qualified medical professionals.
We're opening in Cape Town!
KCSA will soon open our fourth outpatient infusion clinic in Constantia, Cape Town, with negotiations underway for further clinics in Pretoria, Free State and the Garden Route.
KCSA currently offers outpatient ketamine infusions at the following locations:
BEDFORDVIEW (GP)
UMHLANGA (KZN)
HILTON (KZN)
Dr Douglas Stevens to head up KCSA, Western Cape
Dr Stevens has over 30-years' experience in family and emergency medicine. His interests extend to chronic pain management, addiction medicine, and holistic mental health. He is a member of SOSPOSA. All at KCSA wish Doug well with his new venture.
Ketamine Infusion shows promise in patients with CNP
A single centre, retrospective review of 57-patients published in Pain Medicine, 2021 Jun 4, suggests that intravenous ketamine infusion is a safe and effective adjuvant treatment in patients with Cancer-related Neuropathic Pain (CNP). Synergy with SNRIs was demonstrated. At KCSA we have seen significant reductions in DVPRS (bio-psycho-social pain rating scale) scores in patients with neuropathic neoplastic pain.
Consolidating recovery using Sandplay Therapy after ketamine infusions
An exciting development at our Hilton clinic is the addition of Sandplay Therapy offered by our clinical psychologist Sue Firth. Sue explains how this therapy consolidates ketamine's ability to access unconscious material by offering patients a non-directive, non-verbal, and projective form of expression.
Ketamine can reduce harmful drinking by pharmacologically rewriting drinking memories
Maladaptive reward memories (MRMs) are involved in the development and maintenance of acquired overconsumption disorders, such as harmful alcohol and drug use. The N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist ketamine is able to disrupt MRMs in hazardous drinkers when administered immediately after their retrieval.
How did KCSA start in South Africa?
Ketamine Clinics of South Africa (KCSA) was founded by Dr Alan Howard, a Consultant in Emergency Medicine who returned home permanently to his native South Africa from Ireland in 2019.
To read more about Dr Howard and KCSA's flagship clinic in the Natal Midlands in two informative articles published in South African Psychiatry click on the link below.
