Ketamine is used in field analgesia because it preserves airway reflexes. Which statement best describes this effect?

• A. It reduces sedation intensity
• B. It maintains airway reflexes
• C. It suppresses coughing
• D. It eliminates pain completely

Answer: (C)

Ketamine provides analgesia while largely preserving protective airway reflexes and spontaneous breathing. That means the patient can still cough and swallow and maintain their airway without the deeper sedation or respiratory depression seen with many other analgesics. The best way to describe this effect is that airway reflexes are maintained. Because of this preservation, it's not accurate to say it suppresses coughing or eliminates pain completely, and it doesn’t primarily function by reducing sedation intensity. In field use, preserving the cough reflex helps reduce aspiration risk while still delivering analgesia.