The Safety of Electroconvulsive Therapy in Patients With Prolonged QTc Intervals on the Electrocardiogram

BACKGROUND: Prolonged QTc intervals have been associated with increased cardiac morbidity and mortality. We investigated whether pretreatment prolongation of the QTc interval was associated with increased cardiac-related events (CREs) in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatment of psychiatric disorders. METHODS: The charts of 1437 ECT patients were reviewed for the presence of baseline QTc prolongation. Broadly defined CREs during the course of treatment were abstracted from patient charts. RESULTS: Presence of baseline QTc prolongation was not independent of increased risk of CREs during ECT. IMPLICATIONS: Careful consideration should be given to patients who have QTc prolongation on an electrocardiogram and are undergoing ECT treatment, but this should not definitively exclude patients from receiving ECT treatment.