Electroconvulsive Therapy Side Effects in Recovery Ward: A Report From the North of Iran

Today, Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is used to manage many psychiatric illnesses. Although this treatment is safe and effective, sometimes it may cause frequent, short-term complications.

We investigated ECT-related side effects in the recovery ward of an academic hospital in Iran.

This cross-sectional study was conducted at Shafa Hospital on 235 patients. During the procedure, patients were monitored by electrocardiography, pulse oximetry, and non-invasive blood pressure measurements. General anesthesia induction was performed by propofol 1-1.5 mg/kg followed by succinylcholine 0.5 mg/kg as a muscle relaxant. Airway control was maintained by mask ventilation. After short hyperventilation, an electrical current was delivered to the brain through two electrodes placed bilaterally on the temporal region, resulting in a seizure that lasted between 20 to 60 seconds. A questionnaire, including demographic information and possible complications, was filled out in the recovery ward. Data were analyzed an reported by frequency reporting and t-test in SPSS software V. 20.

Among 235 cases, 160 (68.1%) had at least one complication. A total of 53 patients (22.6%) reported myalgia which was significantly higher in the male gender. Also, 89 patients (37.9%) reported headache, 15 (6.4%) nausea, 7 (3%) shivering, and 84 (35.5%) pain at the injection site. Male gender and younger people were more prone to myalgia.

We found that headache, myalgia, and pain in the injection site were the main patients’ reported complaints after ECT.