Ketamine on Trial: The Case for and Against Prehospital Sedation

This session puts one of EMS’s most controversial medications in the hot seat. In this high-stakes, courtroom-style debate, a paramedic-attorney takes the prosecution’s side—questioning the ethics, safety, and legality of field ketamine use—while a clinical pharmacist–paramedic mounts the defense, armed with evidence, pharmacology, and real-world experience. Together, they’ll examine the data, dissect the lawsuits, and challenge the assumptions surrounding ketamine for undifferentiated agitation, behavioral emergencies, and rapid sedation in the field. Was ketamine used appropriately, or did we cross a line? Where does clinical judgment end and legal liability begin? With expert testimony, cross-examination, and audience participation, this session blends science, law, and clinical practice in a fast-paced, unforgettable format. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of both the pharmacologic and medicolegal implications of ketamine administration—and the confidence to defend (or reconsider) their decisions when the next agitated patient tests the limits of prehospital medicine.