Objectives: The study aimed to evaluate the effect of modified electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO 2 ), heart rate (HR), mean blood pressure (MBP), and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ) in adolescents both within and across multiple ECT sessions and compare those with adults. Methods: We prospectively recruited adolescents (less than 18 y) and gender-matched adults (18 to 24 y) undergoing ECT and monitored rSO 2 , SpO 2 , HR, and MBP up to 15 minutes during each session, from the second to the sixth session (T2 to T6). Linear mixed-effect models were used to analyze. Results: Twenty-five adolescents and 20 adults were included. Within an individual ECT session, adolescents exhibited a significant increase in rSO 2 at the first and second minutes following ECT ( P <0.001), and the increase was greater in adolescents than adults. Post-ECT, SpO 2 and MBP showed an initial rise followed by a gradual decline in both groups, while HR remained elevated till the 15th minute in both groups. Relative to the T2 session, rSO 2 values remained stable across the sessions and did not differ between groups. No clinically relevant changes were noted in SpO 2 and MBP across the ECT sessions. Compared with the T2, the HR consistently increased in the T4 to T6 sessions in both groups (all P <0.001). Conclusion: Both adolescents and adults demonstrated an acute increase (a significantly greater increase in adolescents), followed by a gradual decline in rSO 2 , SpO 2 , and MBP during a single ECT session, except for HR, which remained elevated. Across the ECT sessions, these variables remained stable in both groups.
Mishra et al. (2026) studied this question.