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Anaesthesia for electroconvulsive therapy – new tricks for old drugs: a systematic review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 May 2017

Tobias Kvist Stripp ,
Martin Balslev Jorgensen  and
Niels Vidiendal Olsen
Tobias Kvist Stripp*
Affiliation:
Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, The Health Faculty, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Martin Balslev Jorgensen
Affiliation:
Psychiatric Centre Copenhagen, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Niels Vidiendal Olsen
Affiliation:
Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, The Health Faculty, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Department of Neuroanaesthesia, The Neuroscience Centre, University Hospital of Copenhagen (Rigshospitalet), Copenhagen, Denmark
*
Tobias K Stripp, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, The Health Faculty, University of Copenhagen, 3B Blegdamsvej, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark. Tel: +45 22 42 25 80; Fax: +45 35 45 80 32 E-mail: tkstripp@gmail.com
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Abstract

Objective

The objective of this review is to investigate existing literature in order to delineate whether the use of anaesthesia and timing of seizure induction in a new and optimised way may improve the efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

Methods

PubMed/MEDLINE was searched for existing literature, last search on 24 June 2015. Relevant clinical studies on human subjects involving choice of anaesthetic, ventilation and bispectral index (BIS) monitoring in the ECT setting were considered. The references of relevant studies were likewise considered.

Results

Propofol yields the shortest seizures, etomidate and ketamine the longest. Etomidate and ketamine+propofol 1 : 1 seems to yield the seizures with best quality. Seizure quality is improved when induction of ECT is delayed until the effect of the anaesthetic has waned – possibly monitored with BIS values. Manual hyperventilation with 100% O2 may increase the pO2/pCO2-ratio, which may be correlated with better seizure quality.

Conclusion

Etomidate or a 1 : 1 ketamine and propofol combination may be the best method to achieve general anaesthesia in the ECT setting. There is a need for large randomised prospective studies comparing the effect of methohexital, thiopental, propofol, ketamine, propofol+ketamine 1 : 1 and etomidate in the ECT treatment of major depressed patients. These studies should investigate safety and side effects, and most importantly have antidepressant efficacy and cognitive side effects as outcome measures instead of seizure quality.

Keywords

consciousness monitorelectroconvulsive therapyhyperventilationintravenous anesthesia
Type
Review Article
Information
Acta Neuropsychiatrica , Volume 30 , Issue 2 , April 2018 , pp. 61 - 69
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Copyright
© Scandinavian College of Neuropsychopharmacology 2017 

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