Complaint Filed Over Prehospital Ketamine Research Without Prior Consent

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A consumer rights group has filed a complaint alleging a Minneapolis health care provider ignored ethical practices and federal safeguards when it researched the effect of the powerful sedative ketamine on more than 100 participants without their prior consent. The Public Citizen complaint asks the Food and Drug Administration and the Office for Human Research Protection to investigate whether Hennepin Healthcare complied with federal regulations during clinical trials of ketamine. In the trials, paramedics sedated people before taking them to the hospital. The Star Tribune says the federal complaint alleges researchers put patients at unnecessary risk and enrolled them in the study without their prior consent. Hennepin Healthcare spokesman Thomas Hayes says the hospital accreditation ensures it follows "rigorous standards for ethics, quality, and protections for human research." Related JEMS Articles: Ketamine Considerations for Prehospital Use (by Lindsay Henderson, MD, EMT-P) Ketamine's Versatility Makes it a Powerful Tool for EMS (by Scott D. Hax, NRP, FP-C, C-NPT; Ken Davis, BA, EMT-P, FP-C; Ben Stone, FP-C; Bryan Bledsoe, DO, FACEP, FAEMS & Ryan Hodnick, DO) Case Review: Ketamine to Emergently Reduce a Fracture (By Marshall A. Frank, DO, MPH, FACEP) Ketamine May Aid in Prehospital Management of Severe Asthma (By Jennifer Keefer, BSN, CFRN, NRP & Ryan Hodnick, DO)
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Patient Care News Source Type: news