Continuous Intravenous Infusion of Ketamine and Lidocaine as Adjuvant Analgesics in a 5-Year-Old Patient with Neuropathic Cancer Pain

Abstract

For difficult to treat neuropathic pain from cancer, adjuvant analgesics are often used with opioids. We present the case of a 5-year-old girl who was diagnosed with meningitis caused by malignant T-cell lymphoma. She had severe neuropathic pain not relieved by increasing doses of a fentanyl infusion. Intravenous administration of ketamine and lidocaine in combination with fentanyl provided excellent analgesia without significant side effects. Ketamine and lidocaine can be safely infused together with concomitant opioids for the treatment of refractory neuropathic pain caused by cancer.