General Anesthesia in a Patient With Urticaria Pigmentosa Referred for Electroconvulsive Therapy.

Urticaria pigmentosa is a rare disorder characterized by an abnormal systemic proliferation of mast cells. In this condition, various triggers can induce either cutaneous histamine release, resulting in rash, or generalized histamine release, resulting in symptomatic hypotension, syncope, or in its severest form, an anaphylactoid reaction resistant to most resuscitative measures. Many anesthetic agents and adjuncts are known potential triggers, and patients who require surgery or procedures under anesthesia must be managed carefully.

The Safe Use of Electroconvulsive Therapy in a Patient With a Repaired Arteriovenous Malformation: Images Showing Surgical Clips.

We present images showing surgical clips from a remotely repaired cerebral arteriovenous malformation in a patient treated safely with electroconvulsive therapy.

Case report: transient left bundle branch block associated with ECT.

We present the first reported case of transient left bundle branch block (LBBB) occurring during electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). LBBB is an important clinical finding, as it is associated with a significant increase in mortality. Physicians providing ECT should be aware of the significance of new-onset LBBB; it may occur during treatment.

Dosing and effectiveness of ketamine anesthesia for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT): a case series.

Objective: To provide additional data about the clinical efficacy and dosing range for ketamine used as the induction agent in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

Method: We reviewed the clinical data in our academic hospital ECT service over the last four years for patients who had received ketamine as the sole, or adjunctive, anesthesia induction agent. We extracted clinical data about antidepressant response as well as absolute and weight-based dosing for ketamine.

Depression severity in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) versus pharmacotherapy trials.

Objective: We sought to compare the level of severity of depressive symptoms on entry into electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) clinical trials versus pharmacotherapy clinical trials.

Data Sources: English-language MEDLINE/PubMed publication databases were searched for ECT literature (search terms: ECT, electroconvulsive therapy, depression, and Hamilton) for clinical trials in which depressed patients had baseline Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) scores. For comparison, we used a convenience sample of 7 large pharmacotherapy trials in major depression (N = 3677).

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in Parkinson's disease: ECS and dopamine enhancement.

Introduction: In addition to its effects in major psychiatric illness, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is known to have a beneficial effect on the core motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). This effect is believed to be mediated via dopamine in the striatum. Electroconvulsive shock (ECS), the animal analogue of ECT, is the model in which investigators have sought to elucidate the specific dopaminergic mechanisms by which ECT exerts its therapeutic effect in PD.