Our request
We ask CDC to test for ketamine in suicide deaths and deaths with unclear manner or intent across the deaths represented in NVDRS, where records and testing protocols allow.
Please publish how many eligible deaths were tested, how many were not tested, and how many have unknown testing status, and report ketamine findings separately from a determination that ketamine contributed to a death.
Please describe the years, participating jurisdictions, case coverage, testing and missing-data limits, and how records identify ketamine given during emergency care.
Why it matters
Testing records can show how often ketamine is found in suicide deaths and deaths that do not have a clear manner or intent.
A carefully defined report could clarify what is recorded in available death-investigation data. Detection in toxicology is not proof that a substance contributed to a death, and an observed association would not establish causation.
What good reporting looks like
- Use the agency's existing case definitions and document differences in jurisdiction participation.
- Separate a toxicology detection from an investigator's determination of contribution.
- Explain how post-incident emergency care is identified and where that information is unavailable.