Electroconvulsive treatment performed in the operating room on a depressed patient before surgery.

We report the successful treatment of a recurring episode of major depression with electroconvulsive treatment done in the operating room before a surgical intervention in a 71-year-old woman with a comorbid condition of recurring squamous cell carcinoma resulting from a rare P53 genetic mutation. Electroconvulsive therapy was effective in treating safely this patient before surgery, resulting in a net reduction of anesthetic exposure for the patient for both procedures.