什么是氯胺酮？

An investigation into the death of American actor Matthew Perry has led to criminal charges against five people.
对美国演员马修·派瑞之死的调查导致了五人被指控刑事罪。

Perry, a star of the popular television series Friends, died suddenly in October. He was 54.
派瑞是热门电视连续剧《老友记》的明星，他于十月份突然去世，享年54岁。

Doctors who examined his body after death said Perry died from an overdose of the powerful drug ketamine.
验尸的医生表示，派瑞因过量使用强效药物氯胺酮而死亡。

So what is ketamine?
那么什么是氯胺酮呢？

Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic. The drug is often used to put people into a deep sleep for medical operations, also called surgery.
氯胺酮是一种强效麻醉剂。这种药物通常用于将人置于深度睡眠状态，以便进行外科手术。

The treatment is called general anesthesia. A doctor can inject the drug into a muscle or through a liquid flow directly into a patient's veins.
这种治疗方法称为全身麻醉。医生可以将药物注射到肌肉中，或通过液体直接输入患者的静脉。

The drug's chemistry is similar to the recreational drug called PCP.
这种药物的化学成分与一种名为PCP的娱乐性药物相似。

Some people use ketamine recreationally for its euphoric effects. It can cause hallucinations and can affect breathing and the heart.
有些人将氯胺酮作为娱乐性药物使用，以体验其欣快的效果。它可能引起幻觉，并影响呼吸和心脏功能。

Ketamine becomes popular
氯胺酮的流行

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ketamine for use only for general anesthesia.
美国食品药品管理局（FDA）只批准氯胺酮用于全身麻醉。

However, American doctors are free to prescribe drugs for treatments other than those approved by the FDA. This is known as off-label use.
然而，美国医生可以自由开具未经FDA批准的药物治疗，这被称为非标签用药。

Ketamine use has seen a huge, fast rise in recent years as a treatment for pain and mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety.
近年来，氯胺酮作为治疗疼痛和心理健康障碍（包括抑郁和焦虑）的药物使用大幅上升。

Perry was using it to treat depression. His usual doctors were treating him with what is called ketamine infusion therapy.
派瑞使用氯胺酮来治疗抑郁症。他的常规医生用所谓的氯胺酮输注疗法为他治疗。

However, investigators say the actor turned to other sources when his doctors refused to give him as much as he wanted.
然而，调查人员表示，当他的医生拒绝给予他所需的剂量时，这位演员转向了其他渠道。

Last week, government lawyers said Perry got ketamine illegally through a group that included two doctors, Perry's assistant and a woman they identified as the “Ketamine Queen.”
上周，政府律师表示，派瑞通过一个包括两名医生、派瑞的助理以及一名被称为“氯胺酮女王”的女性在内的团伙非法获得了氯胺酮。

Perry's assistant injected the actor with ketamine — including several times on the day Perry died.
派瑞的助理为他注射了氯胺酮——包括在派瑞去世当天的几次注射。

How else is ketamine being used?
氯胺酮还有其他什么用途呢？

Emergency medical workers also sometimes use ketamine to sedate people who appear to be out of control, aggressive or a threat to themselves or others.
紧急医疗工作者有时也会使用氯胺酮来镇静那些看似失控、具有攻击性或对自己或他人构成威胁的人。

Some states and agencies around the country have begun to reconsider this use of ketamine because of the drug's health risks.
由于氯胺酮的健康风险，全国一些州和机构已开始重新考虑这种用途。

In 2019, an American court found two emergency medical workers guilty in the overdose killing of a teenager in Colorado.
2019年，一家美国法院判定两名紧急医疗工作者因在科罗拉多州过量注射导致一名少年死亡而有罪。

The medical team injected the man with a deadly amount of ketamine during a police operation.
在一次警察行动中，医疗队给这名男子注射了致命剂量的氯胺酮。

An Associated Press investigation found that, generally, use of ketamine and similar drugs as a policing or security tool has spread quietly across the nation over the last 15 years.
美联社的一项调查发现，氯胺酮和类似药物作为警务或安全工具的使用在过去15年间悄然蔓延到了全国各地。