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Use of midazolam for ECT anesthesia: effects on antidepressive efficacy and seizure duration. Preliminary findings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

M Auriacombe
Affiliation:
ECT Research Group, Laboratory of Psychiatry, University of Bordeaux II, Centre Carreire, Hôpital Charles Perrens, 121 rue de la Béchade, F-33076Bordeaux cedex, France
D Grabot
Affiliation:
ECT Research Group, Laboratory of Psychiatry, University of Bordeaux II, Centre Carreire, Hôpital Charles Perrens, 121 rue de la Béchade, F-33076Bordeaux cedex, France
PM Lincheneau
Affiliation:
ECT Research Group, Laboratory of Psychiatry, University of Bordeaux II, Centre Carreire, Hôpital Charles Perrens, 121 rue de la Béchade, F-33076Bordeaux cedex, France
D Zeiter
Affiliation:
ECT Research Group, Laboratory of Psychiatry, University of Bordeaux II, Centre Carreire, Hôpital Charles Perrens, 121 rue de la Béchade, F-33076Bordeaux cedex, France
J Tignol
Affiliation:
ECT Research Group, Laboratory of Psychiatry, University of Bordeaux II, Centre Carreire, Hôpital Charles Perrens, 121 rue de la Béchade, F-33076Bordeaux cedex, France
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Summary

Midazolam is a short acting benzodiazepine that has been used for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) anesthesia. The purpose of this study was to determine whether midazolam used for this purpose would impair the antidepressive efficacy of ECT. In a double-blind random-assignment study midazolam was compared to methohexital on the antidepressive efficacy of bilateral ECT as measured by the reduction in the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scores and seizure duration. Sixteen DSM-III-R major depressive disorder patients with melancholia were included. Midazolam and methohexital did not differ in their effects on the MADRS score or seizure duration; no correlation was found between seizure duration and outcome of depression for either group. Our preliminary findings do not support the claim that benzodiazepines should not be used during bilateral ECT.

Type
Original article
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier, Paris 1995

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Footnotes

*

A preliminary report of portions of this research was presented at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting, New York, May 1990 and at the First European Symposium on ECT, Graz, March 1992.

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