Ketamine seems to be a commonly used drug in emergencies because it's a safer anesthetic than propofol when you don't know specifics about the patient and can't determine dosage.
Ketamine is the world’s most commonly used anaesthetic, or at least it was as of some years ago.
It’s on the WHO’s list of 100 essential medicines because it’s one of the very rare anaesthetics that doesn’t depress the respiratory system, making it extremely safe by comparison with many others.