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Background: There is no recommendation in Europe for the use of ketamine in patients with chronic pain. The heterogeneity of practice highlights the need to seek the advice of experts in order to establish a national consensus. This Delphi survey aimed to reach a national consensus on the use of ketamine in chronic pain in Pain clinics., Methods: A collaborative four-round internet-based questionnaire was used. It was created after literature search on ketamine administration in chronic pain and included about 96 items. It discussed utility and advantages, adverse events and deleterious aspects, methods of administration, concomitant treatments and assessment of results., Results: Twenty-eight experts completed all rounds of the survey with a total of 81.3% items reaching a consensual answer. Neuropathic pain represents the first indication to use ketamine, followed, with a good to moderate utility, by other situations (fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome, central neuropathic pain, peripheral neuropathic pain, nociceptive pain, sensitization, opioid withdrawal, palliative care, depression). Experts agreed on the rare occurrence of adverse events. Concerning routes of administration, intravenous infusion with doses of 0.5-0.9 mg/kg/d for 4 days of treatment is preferred. Place of care is hospital, as in- or out-patient, with a quarterly administration of ketamine. Finally, ketamine effectiveness is assessed 1 month after infusion, and experts encourage combination with non-pharmacological treatment., Conclusions: This Delphi survey established a consensus of pain specialists on the use of ketamine in refractory chronic pain, thus providing a basis for future comparative trials., Significance: This Delphi survey in chronic pain reached agreement on four main aspects: (1) Priority to treat neuropathic pain with evaluation of effectiveness at 1 month; (2) No deleterious effects in the majority of listed diseases/situations with the absence or <3% of suggested adverse events; (3) 0.5-0.9 mg/kg/d IV infusion; (4) Combination with non-pharmacological treatment., (© 2022 European Pain Federation - EFIC®.)

We report a case of idiopathic brachial nevralgia of the right shoulder in a 30-year-old female, after caesarean section, under spinal anaesthesia. Two days after surgery, intense cervical pain appeared on the second day, associated with rapid collapse of muscular shoulder belt. Full recovery occurred in four months.

A 75 year-old woman was admitted for a myxoedematous coma. Treatment included a prophylactic administration of low molecular weight heparin. During recovery from coma she experienced pain in her right calf. The anticoagulant therapy was switched to subcutaneous calcium heparin. However, the latter had to be discontinued due to the formation of a haematoma of a thigh. Clinical and biological data were in favour of a mechanism of heparin stocking during coma followed by its release during recovery.