Cardiovascular effects of anesthesia in ECT: a randomized, double-blind comparison of etomidate, propofol, and thiopental.

Cardiovascular alterations during electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) are a major concern for this treatment. Although several studies have been performed to compare the effects of anesthetics on these alterations, the results are mixed and doubt still exists regarding the choice of the best drug. We conducted a randomized, double-blind clinical trial to compare the effects of 3 anesthetics used in ECT: etomidate, propofol, and thiopental. Patients (N=30) were randomized to receive one of these drugs as the anesthetic for the ECT procedure. Cardiovascular evaluation consisted of the measurement of blood systolic and diastolic pressure and heart rate before and immediately after the end of the seizure for each patient during a course of ECT. The results showed that etomidate, propofol, and thiopental were associated with similar cardiovascular effects.