Ready to get started? Log in or create your Patient Portal to schedule.
You will need to take your blood pressure and heart rate at the start of your KAP session before dosing, as well as at the end of the session. You'll need to report both sets of vitals to your member therapist for documentation. Your prescriber will specify a safety threshold, which will be indicated in the emailed PDF after your consultation, to ensure that you do not proceed with taking ketamine if your vitals are higher than the parameters they list for safety reasons. Your member therapist will also be able to see the vital threshold in the Portal and emailed PDF instructions. Please see below for a step-by-step outline of what to do.
How to measure your vitals:
- Place the BP wrist cuff on your wrist so that the face of it is in line with the palm of your hand, and tighten the cuff.
- Take a few minutes to relax. Sit in a comfortable position, with your legs and ankles uncrossed and your back supported. Keep your wrist at heart level for the duration of the blood pressure reading. You may need to elevate using a pillow or hold your arm across your chest. Refrain from speaking, chewing, eating, crossing your legs, or moving during the reading.
- Press start when you're ready to begin the reading. Once the BP and heart rate (pulse) are recorded, read these numbers to your therapist and verify that they're not higher than the parameters set by your prescriber.
- The systolic number is the top, and the diastolic number is on the bottom (a tip to remember this is: "d = down"). If you're in the self-led protocol at home, write your vitals down or text/email them to your therapist. Please remember that vitals need to be taken and reported to your therapist before AND after KAP dosing sessions.
There is also a how-to instructional video that can be accessed by logging into your Patient Portal and clicking "Prepare." The video is located in the "10 Minutes Before Your KAP Session" section.
What To Do If Vitals Are Above Safety Parameters:
Heart rate and blood pressure may increase with ketamine, therefore staying under the prescribed threshold parameters before administration is necessary in order to proceed with any ketamine session, and it’s crucial to monitor vital signs after administration as well. The safety of our patients and members is top priority at Journey Clinical, and following this protocol will allow us to monitor any risks and individual reactions.
If your blood pressure or heart rate are out of range before KAP dosing, we recommend resting for a few minutes and using breathing and relaxation techniques before re-taking your vitals twice consecutively. To obtain the most accurate reading, avoid speaking, chewing, or moving while your vitals are being measured. Ensure that the blood pressure cuff is at heart level (you may need to elevate your arm with a pillow) and that your feet are flat on the floor without crossing your legs.
Pre-KAP re-check: On the first re-check, if the results are within a normal range, you should administer one more set of vitals to validate the normal result. If the results remain normal, you may proceed with KAP, and you should report all vitals to your therapist to document in the Journey Clinical Portal. If either of the re-checks remains out of range, do not proceed with KAP. We recommend seeking medical attention from your Primary Care Provider or Urgent Care to address your elevated vital signs. For your safety, if your vitals are abnormal you may not continue with KAP until our Medical Team reviews this outcome and has cleared you to continue. Thank you.
Post-KAP re-check: You should relax for a few minutes and check the vitals again. If the vitals do not decrease to the recommended range after 60 minutes of rest and you are having symptoms such as headache, flushing, chest pain, shortness of breath, or distress, you should go to Urgent Care or an Emergency Department for medical evaluation.
If you are NOT having symptoms, we ask that you continue to take your vitals at home until they return to lower than the parameters, and relay all of the vitals to your therapist to document for the medical team. If your vitals are still not below the parameters after 4 hours of monitoring, we recommend going to an Urgent Care or Emergency Department for medical evaluation.
If your vitals are elevated for >1 hour WITH symptoms or >4 hours WITHOUT symptoms, we ask that you seek immediate medical attention and refrain from continuing KAP until your Journey Clinical Prescriber has been able to discuss this situation with you. Please complete the Adverse Events Form in the Help section of the Portal or ask your therapist to report this occurence once it's safe to do so. Your prescriber may require additional tests or collaboration with your medical team before you can resume KAP for your safety. We appreciate your cooperation and attention to this necessary safety measure.