Reserachers with New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery found the combination of oral ketamine and aspirin is a safe form of pain medication after total knee replacement.
The study was led by Michael Ast, MD, according to an Aug. 16 news release. Twenty two elective knee replacement patients between the ages of 47 and 81 received an oral dose of aspirin and ketamine four times a day until they were discharged.
The study found few adverse effects and overall safety of the combination.
"There's been considerable research and effort into reducing opioid consumption after elective surgeries, and specifically after knee replacement," Dr. Ast said in the release. "Many people consider knee replacements the most painful elective surgery someone can have. We've done a lot of great work, and we've already cut the amount of opioids that patients take by approximately 75 percent as compared to 10 years ago. But there's still room to go, which is why we want to focus on developing novel forms of non-opioid pain medication."