Comparison of Sodium Thiopental and Propofol for Convulsion Time and Recovery Duration in Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is one of the less dangerous treatments for psychological disorders and the best one which receives much consideration in psychiatry today and it is also performed under general anesthesia. Because sodium thiopental and propofol are the most common drugs used for this purpose, in this study we compared sodium thiopental and propofol for convulsion time and recovery duration in ECT. In this semi-experimental study, 26 subjects were divided into two groups randomly. In one group propofol was used and in the other one sodium thiopental for induction, but muscle relaxation and premedication were the same for both groups. The subjects were monitored for blood pressure and cardiovascular response, and after ECT the time of convulsion and recovery was recorded. Blood pressure and heart rate of patients were checked and recorded before anesthesia, one and five minutes after ECT. The data were analyzed through SPSS software, version 11.5, applying independent t-test (p<0.1). The mean of convulsion duration was 34.4±6.3 minutes in propofol group and 41.7±9.7 in thiopental group which showed that there was a significant difference between the groups (p=0.003). The mean of recovery duration in propofol group was less than that of thiopental group which indicated that there was a significant difference (p=0.09). Also, the mean of blood pressure in propofol group was less than that of thiopental group, a difference which was statistically significant (p<0.1). The results of this study showed that ECT with propofol causes a faster recovery and reduces the occurrence of homodynamic changes. Therefore, it is suitable to use propofol instead of sodium thiopental for ECT especially in patients with high blood pressure.