Why the study?
Is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) safe and feasible in a treatment-refractory depressed patient with an automatic internal cardioverter-defibrillator (AICD)?
Is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) safe and feasible in a treatment-refractory depressed patient with an automatic internal cardioverter-defibrillator (AICD)?
Electroconvulsive therapy can be safely administered to patients with an AICD by temporarily deactivating the device during the procedure.
Hypothesis-generating for ECT feasibility in AICD patients via temporary deactivation; prospective data needed before wider use.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a relatively safe and effective treatment even in depressed patients with preexisting cardiovascular diseases. However, little is known about its use in patients with automatic internal cardioverter-defibrillator (AICD). This case report describes a successful administration of ECT in a treatment-refractory depressed patient with an AICD, where the AICD device was deactivated during each ECT treatments and reactivated immediately upon completion of each treatment. The presence of an AICD should not be a contraindication to receiving ECT.
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Lapid et al. (2001) studied this question.
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