A survey of the practice of electroconvulsive therapy in Asia.

Objective: To describe a comprehensive survey of the practice of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in Asia.

Method: Between 2001 and 2003, a 29-item questionnaire was sent to 977 psychiatric facilities in 45 Asian countries.

Results: Completed questionnaires were returned by 334 (34.

Use of the Neuro-Wrap system for severe post-electroconvulsive therapy headaches.

Objective: To determine, in a nonblinded trial, if the Neuro-Wrap system is effective in reducing the severity of pain in patients with severe post-electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) headaches not adequately responsive to routine analgesic treatment.

Background: A very troubling side effect of ECT is severe post-ECT headaches. Although these headaches usually respond to routine analgesic medication, some patients continue to experience severe headache despite treatment.

Selecting patients for randomized trials: a systematic approach based on risk group.

Background: A key aspect of randomized trial design is the choice of risk group. Some trials include patients from the entire at-risk population, others accrue only patients deemed to be at increased risk. We present a simple statistical approach for choosing between these approaches.

ECT practice in Japan.

Objectives: We sought to determine the characteristics of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) practice in Japan. Only by knowing practice patterns can standards of care be successfully developed and implemented.

Methods: From September 1, 2001, to August 31, 2003, a questionnaire was sent to 248 institutions.

Survey of the practice of electroconvulsive therapy in teaching hospitals in India.

Objectives: We sought to obtain an overview of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) practice in teaching hospitals in India.

Method: From September 1, 2001, to August 31, 2002, a 29-item questionnaire enquiring about ECT practice during the past year was sent to 188 teaching institutions and psychiatric hospitals.

Results: Seventy-four institutions (39.

Electroconvulsive therapy practice in Thailand.

Objectives: To obtain an overview of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) practice in Thailand.

Methods: Questionnaires were sent to all institutions providing psychiatric care; data were collected from September 1, 2001, to August 31, 2002.

Results: Fifty-three responses were received from 67 institutions (79.

Transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation in preventing and treating nausea and vomiting in patients receiving electroconvulsive therapy.

A significant number of patients complain of nausea after general anesthesia and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Nausea is second only to headache as the most frequent and troublesome systemic side effect of ECT. The most common treatment of this is antiemetic drugs.

Acute and maintenance ECT with flupenthixol in refractory schizophrenia: sustained improvements in psychopathology, quality of life, and social outcomes.

Objective: To determine the effects of ECT combined with antipsychotic medication therapy on psychopathology, quality of life, and social functioning in patients with refractory schizophrenia.

Method: An open acute (Phase I) and maintenance (Phase II) study of the combination of ECT and flupenthixol in the treatment of 46 schizophrenic patients who were nonresponsive to antipsychotic medication from at least two different classes. Scales used: the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Quality of Life Scale (QLS), Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS), Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), and Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE).

Anesthesia for electroconvulsive therapy in obese patients.

Obese patients have successfully undergone over 650 consecutive uncomplicated ECT treatments without any special precautions at two major U.S. medical centers.

Anticholinergics and ECT.

Anticholinergic medication is commonly used prior to anesthetizing patients for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Its routine use is the subject of ongoing controversy. This article reviews how anticholinergics came to be used with ECT and the work supporting or refuting their routine use.

Atypical Cholinesterase and Prolonged Apnea During Electroconvulsive Therapy.

A 62-year-old man developed prolonged apnea during ECT with succinylcholine. He was found to have atypical cholinesterase. Subsequent ECTs were given using atracurium as the muscle relaxant.

Maintenance Electroconvulsive Therapy in Clinical Practice.

Five cases of maintenance electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) are reviewed to illustrate the indications for this treatment. The patients' conditions described are consistent with the recommendations of the 1990 American Psychiatric Association Task Force on ECT. Guidelines and examples for selecting patients for maintenance ECT are presented, but when to preferentially treat with continuation pharmacotherapy versus ECT requires further study.

A Survey of ECT Use in Asia.

A questionnaire was mailed to 100 hospitals involved with medical education in 13 Asian countries. Replies were received from 36. The authors compare electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) usage in Asian countries with that in the United States.

Maintenance ECT: A Survey of Practice (1986).

A questionnaire on the use of maintenance or continuation ECT was mailed to 173 practitioners of ECT. Of 86 respondents, 51 reported they used maintenance therapy, and 35 did not. Users came from 24 states, with five states accounting for more than half.

Practice Patterns of Electroconvulsive Therapy: A California Perspective (1984).

The sixty-five California hospitals administering electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) during 1984 were surveyed regarding ECT practices to develop data on the community standard of care. Usable data were obtained from 58 hospitals. In each facility two psychiatrists usually administered ECT, including one psychiatrist who received credentials in or after 1977.