Propofol Anaesthesia in Electroconvulsive Therapy

1994 ◽  
Vol 165 (4) ◽  
pp. 506-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher F. Fear ◽  
Carl S. Littlejohns ◽  
Eryl Rouse ◽  
Paul McQuail

BackgroundThe induction agent propofol is known to reduce electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) seizure duration. It is assumed that outcome from depression is adversely affected by this agent. This study compares propofol and methohexitone as induction agents for ECT.MethodIn a prospective, randomised, double-blind study 20 subjects with major depressive disorder (DSM-III-R criteria) received propofol or methohexitone anaesthesia. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Beck Depression Inventory were used to assess depression before therapy, at every third treatment, and at the end of therapy. Seizure duration was measured using the cuff technique.ResultsMean seizure durations (P < 0.01) and mean total seizure duration (P < 0.01) were shorter in the propofol group. There was no difference in outcome.ConclusionsUse of propofol may not adversely affect outcome from depression and it is not necessarily contraindicated as an induction agent for ECT. Our results should be interpreted cautiously, and larger studies are needed.

1995 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 312-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Auriacombe ◽  
D Grabot ◽  
PM Lincheneau ◽  
D Zeiter ◽  
J Tignol

SummaryMidazolam is a short acting benzodiazepine that has been used for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) anesthesia. The purpose of this study was to determine whether midazolam used for this purpose would impair the antidepressive efficacy of ECT. In a double-blind random-assignment study midazolam was compared to methohexital on the antidepressive efficacy of bilateral ECT as measured by the reduction in the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scores and seizure duration. Sixteen DSM-III-R major depressive disorder patients with melancholia were included. Midazolam and methohexital did not differ in their effects on the MADRS score or seizure duration; no correlation was found between seizure duration and outcome of depression for either group. Our preliminary findings do not support the claim that benzodiazepines should not be used during bilateral ECT.


Author(s):  
Nafiseh Banaha ◽  
Padideh Ghaeli ◽  
Abolghasem Yousefi ◽  
Valentin Artounian ◽  
Mohammad H. Afzali ◽  
...  

Cognitive impairment, an important side effect of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), may be related to the release of prostaglandins in the brain. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), constitutively expressed in the CNS, has a functional role in glutamate-mediated learning and memory. The goal of this pilot, double-blind, placebocontrolled trial was to evaluate the effects of the selective COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib on the adverse cognitive effects of ECT. Twenty patients diagnosed with the major depressive disorder for which ECT was indicated as a treatment for their current episode randomly received either celecoxib (200 mg orally twice a day, a total dose of 400 mg/day) or placebo. All patients underwent the same protocol for anesthesia and ECT procedures. The patients received celecoxib or the placebo for the whole period of ECT treatment, starting the day before ECT and continuing until the sixth (last) session of ECT. The Wechsler Mental Scale-III (WMS-III), the Mini-Mental Scale Examination (MMSE), and Stroop Color test were used to assess cognition before the first session and after the first, third and sixth sessions of ECT. Hamilton rating scale for depression was also used for the assessment of depression before and after the trial. Our data showed that celecoxib group did not have significant improvement in cognition based on WMS-III or MMSE scores. There was an improvement in the Stroop Color test but not statistically significant. Our results demonstrated that although celecoxib was well tolerated in patients undergoing ECT, it did not improve related cognitive impairment. Clinical trial registration number: IRCT201201247202N2. CNS, central nervous system; COX-2, Cyclooxygenase-2; DSM-IV-TR, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition Text Revision; ECT, electroconvulsive therapy; ECS, electroconvulsive shocks; HAM-D, Hamilton rating scale for depression; LTP, long term potentiation; MDD, major depressive disorder; MMSE, Mini-Mental State Examination; NSAIDs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; WMS-III, Wechsler Memory Scale-III.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1144-1144
Author(s):  
Y. Jin ◽  
J. Phillips ◽  
Yueqin Huang ◽  
Steven Heurta

IntroductionEfficacy of conventional repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in major depressive disorder (MDD) is limited. The authors report here on an alternative treatment using low energy synchronized TMS (sTMS) at the intrinsic frequency of subjects’ alpha electroencephalogram (EEG).ObjectivesEstablish efficacy and safety profile of sTMS in MDD.Aim(1)Examine the clinical effectiveness of sTMS.(2)Identify adverse effects associated with sTMS.MethodsFifty-two MDD subjects with 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD17) scores >17 were enrolled into a randomized, sham controlled, double-blind trial. Current medication remained unchanged during the trial. Depressive symptoms were evaluated by HAMD17 administered weekly.EEGs were recorded at baseline to determine the stimulus frequency and at week 4 to evaluate the physiological effect. sTMS was delivered through three 6000-G cylindrical neodymium magnets synchronously rotating at a rate equal to the subject's intrinsic alpha frequency.ResultsForty-five subjects completed at least 1 week of treatment and were evaluable. Those who received active treatment had superior clinical response to sham (t = 2.54, P = 0.01), where 55.2% in the active treatment group were clinical responders versus 12.5% in sham (X2 = 7.82, P = 0.005). No significant side effects were reported. The clinical improvement was correlated with the degree of EEG improvement (r = .46, P = 0.009).ConclusionsA therapeutic effect in MDD subjects can be achieved through administration of sTMS at the subject's alpha EEG frequency. Because of minimal side effects, this appears to be a safe and effective treatment option.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arash Mohagheghi ◽  
Asghar Arfaie ◽  
Shahrokh Amiri ◽  
Masoud Nouri ◽  
Salman Abdi ◽  
...  

Introduction and Objective. Despite the effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in treating major depressive disorder (MDD), its cognitive side effects make it less popular. This study investigated the impact of liothyronine on ECT-induced memory deficit in patients with MDD.Methodology. This is a double-blind clinical trial, in which 60 patients with MDD who were referred for ECT were selected. The diagnosis was based on the criteria of DSM-IV-TR. Patients were divided randomly into two groups to receive either liothyronine (50 mcg every morning) or placebo. After the assessment with Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) before first session of ECT, posttests were repeated again, two months after the completion of ECT.Findings. By controlling the pretest scores, the mean scores of the experimental group were higher than the control group in delayed recall, verbal memory, visual memory, general memory, and attention/concentration scales (P<0.05).Conclusion. Liothyronine may prevent ECT-induced memory impairment in patients with MDD. This study has been registered in IRCT underIRCT201401122660N2.


CNS Spectrums ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart A. Montgomery ◽  
Carl P. Gommoll ◽  
Changzheng Chen ◽  
William M. Greenberg

Introduction/ObjectivePost hoc analyses were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of levomilnacipran extended-release (ER) in subgroups of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).MethodsData were pooled from 5 completed Phase II/III studies. Patients were categorized by sex, age, MDD duration, recurrence of MDD, current episode duration, number of prior episodes, and baseline Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score. Efficacy was evaluated by MADRS least squares (LS) mean change from baseline, response (MADRS improvement ≥50%), and remission (MADRS ≤10).ResultsIn the pooled population, treatment with levomilnacipran ER versus placebo resulted in greater improvement in MADRS score (−15.8 versus −12.9; LS mean difference, −2.9; P < .001) and higher response rates (44.7% versus 34.5%; P < .001). Comparable treatment effects were found in most subgroups. Remission rates in the overall population were higher for levomilnacipran ER versus placebo (27.7% versus 21.5%; P < .05); notably high remission rates were seen in patients with baseline MADRS score < 30 (48.8% versus 28.9%; P < .001).DiscussionClinically meaningful improvements in depressive symptoms were found across subgroups, including statistically significant outcomes for both response and remission.ConclusionLevomilnacipran ER was efficacious across a wide range of MDD patients, including men and women, ages 18–78, with varying histories and symptom severity.


CNS Spectrums ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 326-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan G. Kornstein ◽  
Dayong Li ◽  
Yongcai Mao ◽  
Sara Larsson ◽  
Henning F. Andersen ◽  
...  

AbstractIntroduction: Recent data suggest that escitalopram may be more effective in severe depression than other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.Methods: Individual patient data from four randomized, double-blind comparative trials of escitalopram versus a serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) (two trials with duloxetine and two with venlafaxine extended release) in outpatients (18–85 years of age) with moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder were pooled. The primary efficacy parameter in all four trials was mean change in the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score.Results: Significantly fewer escitalopram (82/524) than SNRI (114/527) patients prematurely withdrew from treatment due to all causes (15.6% vs. 21.6%, Fisher Exact: P=.014) and adverse events (5.3% vs. 12.0%, Fisher Exact: P <.0001). Mean reduction in MADRS score from baseline to Week 8 was significantly greater for the escitalopram group versus the SNRI group using the last observation carried forward (LOCF) approach [mean treatment difference at Week 8 of 1.7 points (P <.01)]. Similar results were observed in the severely depressed (baseline MADRS score ≥30) patient subset (mean treatment difference at Week 8 of 2.9 points [P <.001, LOCF]). Observed cases analyses yielded no significant differences in efficacy parameters.Conclusion: This pooled analysis indicates that escitalopram is at least as effective as the SNRIs (venlafaxine XR and duloxetine), even in severe depression, and escitalopram treatment was better tolerated.


2006 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 234-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sidney H Kennedy ◽  
Kari A Fulton ◽  
R Michael Bagby ◽  
Andrea L Greene ◽  
Nicole L Cohen ◽  
...  

Objective: The primary objective was to evaluate sexual function (SF) separately in men and women with major depressive disorder (MDD) before and during treatment with bupropion sustained release (SR) or paroxetine. The secondary objectives involved a comparative evaluation of the Sex Effects Scale (Sex FX) and the Investigator-Rated Sexual Desire and Functioning Scale (IRSD-F), as well as a comparison of antidepressant outcomes and an examination of the relation between level of depression and SF over time. Method: There were 141 patients (68 women and 73 men) who met DSM-IV criteria for a current major depressive episode. They were randomly assigned to receive bupropion SR (150 to 300 mg daily) or paroxetine (20 to 40 mg daily) under double-blind trial conditions. Patients were assessed at baseline and at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks with the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS17), Sex FX, and IRSD-F. Results: Prior to treatment, women reported significantly lower SF on both the Sex FX and IRSD-F scales, compared with men. During treatment, there were no significant drug differences on measures of SF over time for women; however, men who were treated with paroxetine reported a worsening of SF, whereas bupropion SR did not significantly alter SF. Both bupropion SR and paroxetine produced clinically and statistically significant reductions in HDRS17 scores as well as comparable rates of response and remission. There was a statistically significant correlation between the 2 measures of SF at all visits. There was also a significant inverse relation between depression and SF in women, but not in men, irrespective of drug. Conclusion: According to the Sex FX scale, a significant difference in antidepressant-related sexual dysfunction was detected in men, but not women, during treatment with bupropion SR or paroxetine.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Le Xiao ◽  
Xuequan Zhu ◽  
Amy Gillespie ◽  
Yuan Feng ◽  
Jingjing Zhou ◽  
...  

Abstract Background This study aimed to examine the efficacy of combining paroxetine and mirtazapine v. switching to mirtazapine, for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who have had an insufficient response to SSRI monotherapy (paroxetine) after the first 2 weeks of treatment. Methods This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, three-arm study recruited participants from five hospitals in China. Eligible participants were aged 18–60 years with MDD of at least moderate severity. Participants received paroxetine during a 2-week open-label phase and patients who had not achieved early improvement were randomized to paroxetine, mirtazapine or paroxetine combined with mirtazapine for 6 weeks. The primary outcome was improvement on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression 17-item (HAMD-17) scores 6 weeks after randomization. Results A total of 204 patients who showed early non-response to paroxetine monotherapy were randomly assigned to receive either mirtazapine and placebo (n = 68), paroxetine and placebo (n = 68) or mirtazapine and paroxetine (n = 68), with 164 patients completing the outcome assessment. At week 8, the least squares (LS) mean change of HAMD-17 scores did not significantly differ among the three groups, (12.98 points) in the mirtazapine group, (12.50 points) in the paroxetine group and (13.27 points) in the mirtazapine plus paroxetine combination group. Participants in the paroxetine monotherapy group were least likely to experience adverse effects. Conclusions After 8 weeks follow-up, paroxetine monotherapy, mirtazapine monotherapy and paroxetine/mirtazapine combination therapy were equally effective in non-improvers at 2 weeks. The results of this trial do not support a recommendation to routinely offer additional treatment or a switch in treatment strategies for MDD patients who do not show early improvement after 2 weeks of antidepressant treatment.


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