Additional Treatments
Ketamine Therapy
Ketamine has been used for over 5 decades by anesthesiologist during surgeries. In past 2 decades researches discovered additional properties of Ketamine for helping patient with various medical conditions. Ketamine has anti-depressant properties, Pain reliving properties and is used off label for CRPS, Fibromyalgia, neuropathies etc. Research has shown Ketamine has been used to treat major depression. Ketamine is also used off-label treatment of several other conditions like OCD, Chronic pain, anxiety, PTSD and substance abuse.
How is Ketamine given?
Every patient gets a through medical history, current medication treatment and physical examination with emphasis on airway examination. To evaluate if they are fit for Ketamine therapy. Patients are categorized into ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologist) Physical status classification. Patients are monitored continuously during the infusion with EKR, heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation pre-procedure, throughout the procedure and post-procedure. Patients receive an small IV catheter for infusion of ketamine and infusion is done under the guidance of a board certified Anesthesiologist.
Does the Insurance cover ketamine therapy?
Insurance does not cover Ketamine therapy it is self-pay only. To reduce cost to you we will bill the initial consultation and follow up to the insurance companies so that ketamine therapy is more affordable to you. The cost of Ketamine infusion depends on the duration of treatment, condition being treated, package purchase. The cost of Ketamine infusion is $650 for one hour infusion or 2 hour infusion can cost up to $950 per session. Discounts are available for purchase of infusion package of 4 ($500 per 1 hour infusion with purchase of 4 sessions a total of $2000) We take cash or credit card. We recommend the initial series over 3 weeks with a booster to maintain long lasting effects.
Stellate Ganglion Block
What is stellate ganglion block? Stellate ganglion is a part of sympathetic nervous system which controls the fight or flight responses. It increases heart rate, blood pressure and feeling of anxiety or doom. Many a times do to previous traumatic experiences or innate anxiety disorder the sympathetic system can cause over-anxiousness with racing heart rate, high blood pressure, difficulty to catch your breath and feeling of impending doom. Patients may also have severe forms of PTSD with severe sympathetic over-ride in those situations. Psychiatric consultation, medication treatment and psychotherapy may help for such conditions. Stellate ganglion block has shown to be effective controlling such episodes by reducing the severity and number of episodes. It does it by controlling sympathetic hyperdrive causing the symptoms of PTSD.
Stellate ganglion block has been used in pain management for several decades for control of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. Last decade the studies have shown that Stellate ganglion also controls the patients PTSD symptoms offering reduced sympathetic drive during episodes and maintain calmness and improved sleep.
Many civilians may experience PTSD from harassment, bullying or hazing, childhood trauma or abuse, childhood neglect, childhood sexual assault, death or injury of a loved one, divorce, domestic abuse, loss of pregnancy etc. which can be treated with Stellate Ganglion Block along with ongoing psychiatric management reducing the anxiety levels and PTSD symptoms.
Dr Boddu is a Board Certified Anesthesiologist and Board Certified Pain Medicine specialist who has more than 25 years of experience performing stellate ganglion block.