Multiple Monitored Electroconvulsive Therapy in the Elderly†

Abstract

Twenty patients aged 45 or older with the diagnosis of endogenous depression were evaluated in terms of safety and efficacy in their response to multiple monitored electroconvulsive therapy (MMECT) versus single electroconvulsive therapy (SECT). The MMECT group (10 patients) when compared retrospectively with the control SECT group (10 patients) showed a similar record for safety and efficacy. However, the MMECT group required shorter overall duration of treatment, fewer sessions of general anesthesia, and lower dosages of anesthetic agents. The chief benefit of MMECT probably is in the reduction of the time the patient is at risk for suicide.

Multiple‐monitored Electroconvulsive Therapy: Safety and Efficacy in Elderly Depressed Patients

“…. This retrospective review supports previous work showing that elderly patients tolerate the multiple‐seizure technique as well as younger patients 12 …”

“…Physicians should not be reticent to give elderly patients the benefit of a thorough trial because of the false belief that there is a disproportionate risk in the geriatric age group. . This retrospective review supports previous work showing that elderly patients tolerate the multiple‐seizure technique as well as younger patients 12 .…”

“…This retrospective review of 44 patients treated with multiple‐monitored ECT suggests that the procedure is safe and efficacious across all age groups and supports previous work 12,13 . Three fourths of the patients had a good to excellent response, and many had failed to respond to aggressive treatment with antidepressants.…”

“…Since depression is common in the elderly, the safety and efficacy of ECT in this group is of particular interest. To our knowledge, the only article addressing this question is the work by Yesavage and Berens 12 on 20 patients over 45, but only two of their patients were 60 or older.…”

Multiple‐monitored Electroconvulsive Therapy: Safety and Efficacy in Elderly Depressed Patients

“…. This retrospective review supports previous work showing that elderly patients tolerate the multiple‐seizure technique as well as younger patients 12 …”

“…Physicians should not be reticent to give elderly patients the benefit of a thorough trial because of the false belief that there is a disproportionate risk in the geriatric age group. . This retrospective review supports previous work showing that elderly patients tolerate the multiple‐seizure technique as well as younger patients 12 .…”

“…This retrospective review of 44 patients treated with multiple‐monitored ECT suggests that the procedure is safe and efficacious across all age groups and supports previous work 12,13 . Three fourths of the patients had a good to excellent response, and many had failed to respond to aggressive treatment with antidepressants.…”

“…Since depression is common in the elderly, the safety and efficacy of ECT in this group is of particular interest. To our knowledge, the only article addressing this question is the work by Yesavage and Berens 12 on 20 patients over 45, but only two of their patients were 60 or older.…”

The use of electroconvulsive therapy in old age psychiatry

“…However, relatively few very old people have been studied and 'old' may mean different ages to different authors (e.g. over 45 to Yesavage and Berens, 1980). If older people do 'actually have a better therapeutic response to ECT' (Weiner, 1982), this could be related to a different symptom profile in depressive illnesses of old age, or to differences in eliciting a seizure or in the seizure itself.…”

Multiple‐monitored Electroconvulsive Therapy: Safety and Efficacy in Elderly Depressed Patients

“…. This retrospective review supports previous work showing that elderly patients tolerate the multiple‐seizure technique as well as younger patients 12 …”

“…Physicians should not be reticent to give elderly patients the benefit of a thorough trial because of the false belief that there is a disproportionate risk in the geriatric age group. . This retrospective review supports previous work showing that elderly patients tolerate the multiple‐seizure technique as well as younger patients 12 .…”

“…This retrospective review of 44 patients treated with multiple‐monitored ECT suggests that the procedure is safe and efficacious across all age groups and supports previous work 12,13 . Three fourths of the patients had a good to excellent response, and many had failed to respond to aggressive treatment with antidepressants.…”

“…Since depression is common in the elderly, the safety and efficacy of ECT in this group is of particular interest. To our knowledge, the only article addressing this question is the work by Yesavage and Berens 12 on 20 patients over 45, but only two of their patients were 60 or older.…”

The use of electroconvulsive therapy in old age psychiatry

“…However, relatively few very old people have been studied and 'old' may mean different ages to different authors (e.g. over 45 to Yesavage and Berens, 1980). If older people do 'actually have a better therapeutic response to ECT' (Weiner, 1982), this could be related to a different symptom profile in depressive illnesses of old age, or to differences in eliciting a seizure or in the seizure itself.…”

Multiple‐monitored Electroconvulsive Therapy: Safety and Efficacy in Elderly Depressed Patients

“…. This retrospective review supports previous work showing that elderly patients tolerate the multiple‐seizure technique as well as younger patients 12 …”

“…Physicians should not be reticent to give elderly patients the benefit of a thorough trial because of the false belief that there is a disproportionate risk in the geriatric age group. . This retrospective review supports previous work showing that elderly patients tolerate the multiple‐seizure technique as well as younger patients 12 .…”

“…This retrospective review of 44 patients treated with multiple‐monitored ECT suggests that the procedure is safe and efficacious across all age groups and supports previous work 12,13 . Three fourths of the patients had a good to excellent response, and many had failed to respond to aggressive treatment with antidepressants.…”

“…Since depression is common in the elderly, the safety and efficacy of ECT in this group is of particular interest. To our knowledge, the only article addressing this question is the work by Yesavage and Berens 12 on 20 patients over 45, but only two of their patients were 60 or older.…”

The use of electroconvulsive therapy in old age psychiatry

“…However, relatively few very old people have been studied and 'old' may mean different ages to different authors (e.g. over 45 to Yesavage and Berens, 1980). If older people do 'actually have a better therapeutic response to ECT' (Weiner, 1982), this could be related to a different symptom profile in depressive illnesses of old age, or to differences in eliciting a seizure or in the seizure itself.…”