Frequency of and rationales for the combined use of electroconvulsive therapy and antiepileptic drugs in Austria and the literature

Factors Predicting Ictal Quality in Bilateral Electroconvulsive Therapy Sessions

In electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), ictal characteristics predict treatment response and can be modified by changes in seizure threshold and in the ECT technique. We aimed to study the impact of ECT procedure-related variables that interact during each session and might influence the seizure results. Two hundred and fifty sessions of bilateral ECT in forty-seven subjects were included. Seizure results were evaluated by two different scales of combined ictal EEG parameters (seizure quality index (SQI) and seizure adequacy markers sum (SAMS) scores) and postictal suppression rating. Repeated measurement regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of each session’s three outcome variables. Univariate models identified age, physical status, hyperventilation, basal oxygen saturation, days between sessions, benzodiazepines, lithium, and tricyclic antidepressants as predictors of seizure quality. Days elapsed between sessions, higher oxygen saturation and protocolized hyperventilation application were significant predictors of better seizure quality in both scales used in multivariate models. Additionally, lower ASA classification influenced SQI scores as well as benzodiazepine use and lithium daily doses were predictors of SAMS scores. Higher muscle relaxant doses and lower applied stimulus intensities significantly influenced the postictal suppression rating. The study found several modifiable procedural factors that impacted the obtained seizure characteristics; they could be adjusted to optimize ECT session results.

Impact of vascular risk factors on clinical outcome in elderly patients with depression receiving electroconvulsive therapy

BACKGROUND

Although electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a highly effective, safe, and well-tolerated antidepressant treatment for late-life depression (LLD), there is large variability in response rates across individuals. We hypothesized that these variations would be in part explained by the level of vascular risk in this population. We therefore compared response rates to ECT in patients with LLD presenting with or without vascular risk factors (VRF).

METHODS

52 patients with LLD (age > 55) who received a course of ECT were separated into 2 groups according to the presence of VRF (n = 20) or not (n = 32). Framingham score (10-year risk for developing a coronary heart disease) was calculated for each patient. Our primary outcome was the number of responders to ECT in each group (defined as at least 50% decrease of the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale score following ECT course). Scores at the self-rated Beck Depression Inventory are also reported.

RESULTS

Patients with VRF presented significant lower response rates to ECT (12 out of 20; 60%) than patients without VRF (30 out of 32; 94%; p = 0.004). A negative correlation was found between Framingham score and changes in depression scores pre/post ECT (r = -0.42; p = 0.0039).

LIMITATIONS

Our study was limited by sample size and retrospective design.

CONCLUSION

Patients with LLD and VRF showed lower response rates to ECT than those without VRF. The more the VRF increased, the less the antidepressant effect of ECT was observed. Results are discussed in light of the role of apathy in clinical response to ECT.

[Electroconvulsive therapy in combination with psychotropic and non-psychotropic pharmacological treatments: Review of the literature and practical recommendations]

CONTEXT

Electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) is the most effective treatment for treatment resistant mood disorders and catatonia. ECT also appears to be an effective treatment in combination with clozapine in the context of treatment resistant schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Although increasingly codified (guidelines on indications, contraindications, methods of implementation), the practice of ECT still lacks consensual protocols. The concomitant use of psychotropic and/or non-psychotropic medication is a common situation when ECT treatment is considered. To our knowledge, there is to date no summary of studies or case reports in France, nor any proposal for guidelines concerning the management of medication of the patient to whom ECT sessions are offered. Indeed, several particularities must be considered. This article proposes to specify for each pharmacological class the possible interaction between ECT and medication. A first section of this article will be devoted to non-psychotropic treatments, and a second section to psychotropic treatments. A practical summary table is also provided.

METHOD

A review of the literature was conducted including all articles published prior to January 2019 referenced in Pub Med database, combining research with Medical Subject Headings "Electroconvulsive Therapy" and each following pharmacological class: "Cardiovascular Agents" "Bronchodilator Agents" "Bronchoconstrictor Agents" "Theophylline" "Anticoagulants" "Hypoglycemic Agents" "Insulin" "Potassium" "Benzodiazepines" "Valproic Acid" "Carbamazepine" "Lamotrigine" "Lithium" "Antidepressive Agents" "Antipsychotic Agents".

RESULTS

After reading the titles, abstracts and whole articles, then searching for additional articles in the references, 50 articles were selected. A summary table summarizing the main risks and proposing a course of action has been produced.

DISCUSSION

It is essential to take into account the specificity and the different physiological mechanisms involved in the ECT treatment in order to adjust the associated pharmacological treatments. The prescription for each molecule should be reviewed when ECT treatment is initiated.

When All Else Fails: The Use of Electroconvulsive Therapy for Conditions Other than Major Depressive Episode

The use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for those suffering from major depressive disorder is well-evidenced, time-honored, and recognized by most treatment guidelines. However, since its inception ECT has been used by practitioners for a broader range of neuropsychiatric conditions. This article reviews the highly variable evidence supporting the use of ECT in conditions other than depression, such as schizophrenia, bipolar manic states, catatonia, Parkinson disease, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Should Benzodiazepines and Anticonvulsants Be Used During Electroconvulsive Therapy?: A Case Study and Literature Review

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to investigate the clinical effects of benzodiazepines or anticonvulsant use during a course of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

METHOD

A case report study of a patient who received ECT with and without concomitant flurazepam and pregabalin is presented. The literature on the use of benzodiazepines and anticonvulsants during ECT is reviewed.

RESULTS

A woman with treatment resistant depression received a course of ECT while taking flurazepam and pregabalin, but seizures were of short duration and symptomatic improvement was minimal. After discontinuation of flurazepam and pregabalin, a course of right unilateral ultrabrief ECT was associated with adequate seizures and remission of depression and suicidal ideation. Our literature review suggests that benzodiazepines decrease seizure duration, but most evidence shows no association with increased seizure threshold. One prospective RCT and 3 large retrospective studies found that benzodiazepines compromise the efficacy of unilateral but not bilateral ECT. Regarding anticonvulsants, several studies had varied and contradictory results on their effect on seizure duration and seizure threshold. Of the 2 large retrospective studies and 3 RCTs, only 1 retrospective study showed that anticonvulsants decrease the efficacy of ECT.

CONCLUSIONS

Judicious assessment of all medications used in combination with ECT is recommended. Overall, published studies suggest that benzodiazepines and anticonvulsants impact the clinical outcomes of ECT less than what would be expected given their pharmacologic effects. However, there are significant gaps in the literature, including a lack of study on suprathreshold stimulation of right unilateral ECT and the possibility of a greater effect with higher medication doses.

Concomitant Anticonvulsants With Bitemporal Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial With Clinical and Neurobiological Application

BACKGROUND

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for major affective disorders. The combined use of ECT and anticonvulsant mood stabilizers is a common clinical scenario. There is dearth of systematic studies on the use of this combination with regard to clinical or cognitive outcomes.

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS

We aimed to compare clinical improvement and cognitive adverse effects between patients who received only ECT versus those who received ECT and anticonvulsants. We hypothesized that improvement would be fastest in patients who received only ECT.

METHODS

We conducted a randomized controlled trial in which patients prescribed ECT while being treated with anticonvulsants were randomized into 3 groups: full-dose (FD), half-dose (HD), and stop anticonvulsant. A blind rater assessed clinical improvement in patients using rating scales [Young's Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and Clinical Global Impression] for clinical improvement and cognitive adverse effects (Postgraduate Institute memory scale). Analysis was done using mixed-effects modeling to delineate differences in clinical and cognitive outcomes across the 3 arms of the study over the course of ECT.

RESULTS

Of the 54 patients recruited, 36 patients went into treatment allocation arms per the initial randomization plan. The main anticonvulsants prescribed were sodium valproate and carbamazepine. Patients in the 3 groups were comparable on clinical features. The most common diagnosis was bipolar affective disorder-with current episode of mania. Overall, there was no difference across the 3 groups in final clinical outcome scores (YMRS and Clinical Global Impression) when analyzed as intention to treat (ITT) or "as treated." In both analyses, group × time interaction was significant when comparing trend of YMRS scores between the FD anticonvulsant group and the HD group from baseline to last ECT (P = 0.0435 in ITT and P = 0.0055 in as treated). Patients in the FD group improved faster than those in the HD group. There were no differences across the 3 groups with regard to their cognitive adverse effects in the ITT analysis; "as-treated analysis" showed the HD patients to have performed poorly on some domains. Seizure parameters showed no significant difference across the 3 groups.

CONCLUSION

This is a preliminary prospective study examining whether coprescription of anticonvulsants with ECT affected clinical or cognitive outcomes. The most important takeaway point from this study is the significant reduction in YMRS scores when ECT was given with FD anticonvulsant compared with halving the dose (HD) of anticonvulsant. This difference was shown in both ITT and as-treated analysis. There is a need for more prospective studies to examine this clinical question.

Seizure Adequacy Markers and the Prediction of Electroconvulsive Therapy Response

OBJECTIVES

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most effective therapy for patients with treatment-resistant depression; however, some patients do not respond or relapse in a short time. Electroconvulsive therapy stimulus parameters may be related to the outcome. We carried out a retrospective study review to investigate various ECT parameters in relation to the outcome, clinical variables, and pharmacological treatments. Our aim was to understand which factors could be considered putative seizure quality markers and which are relevant to clinical practice.

METHODS

Two physicians evaluated the seizure length, the postictal suppression index, the wave amplitude, tachycardia, and hemispheric brain wave synchronicity in a double-blind manner for 45 treatment-resistant depression patients receiving ECT.

RESULTS

The analysis showed a significant association between the outcome and the ECT seizure quality measured by the parameters (P = 9.9 × 10). Among patients with poor-quality seizures, 61.5% relapsed after approximately 1 month from the last ECT session. Particularly, there was an association between higher symptomatology decrease and higher quality of hemispheric brain wave synchronicity (P = 5.0 × 10), as well as a higher wave amplitude (P = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results confirm that ECT seizure quality was strongly correlated with the decrease of depressive symptomatology.