DETERMINATION OF BIOTRANSFORMATION PRODUCTS OF THE ANESTHETIC KETAMINE BY CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS-SPECTROMETRY

Ketamine metabolites were identified by chromatography-mass spectromet ry in the urine and whole blood of surgical patients exposed to Ketami ne in the course of anesthesia. In addition to the well-known metaboli tes (Norketamine, its unsaturated analogs, and hydroxyketamine), the f ollowing new Ketamine metabolites were found in urine of the patients: deaminonorketamine, 5,6-deaminodehydronorketamine, two methoxyketamin e isomers, and related substances tentatively identified as 2-chloroph enyl)-2-(methylamino)cyclohex-3-ene-1-ol and chlorophenyl)-2-(methylam ino)-cyclohex-5-ene-1-ol.