Longitudinal Neurocognitive Effects of Combined Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and Pharmacotherapy in Major Depressive Disorder in Older Adults: Phase 2 of the PRIDE Study.

OBJECTIVE: There is limited information regarding neurocognitive outcomes of right unilateral ultrabrief pulse width electroconvulsive therapy (RUL-UB ECT) combined with pharmacotherapy in older adults with major depressive disorder. We report longitudinal neurocognitive outcomes from Phase 2 of the Prolonging Remission in Depressed Elderly (PRIDE) study. METHOD: After achieving remission with RUL-UB ECT and venlafaxine, older adults (≥60 years old) were randomized to receive symptom-titrated, algorithm-based longitudinal ECT (STABLE) plus pharmacotherapy (venlafaxine and lithium) or pharmacotherapy-only. A comprehensive neuropsychological battery was administered at baseline and throughout the 6-month treatment period. Statistical significance was defined as a p-value of less than 0.05 (two-sided test). RESULTS: With the exception of processing speed, there was statistically significant improvement across most neurocognitive measures from baseline to 6-month follow-up. There were no significant differences between the two treatment groups at 6 months on measures of psychomotor processing speed, autobiographical memory consistency, short-term and long-term verbal memory, phonemic fluency, inhibition, and complex visual scanning and cognitive flexibility. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first report of neurocognitive outcomes over a 6-month period of an acute course of RUL-UB ECT followed by one of 2 strategies to prolong remission in older adults with major depression. Neurocognitive outcome did not differ between STABLE plus pharmacotherapy versus pharmacotherapy alone over the 6-month continuation treatment phase. These findings support the safety of RUL-UB ECT in combination with pharmacotherapy in the prolonging of remission in late-life depression.

Neurocognitive Effects of Combined Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and Venlafaxine in Geriatric Depression: Phase 1 of the PRIDE Study.

OBJECTIVE: There is limited information regarding the tolerability of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) combined with pharmacotherapy in elderly adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). Addressing this gap, we report acute neurocognitive outcomes from Phase 1 of the Prolonging Remission in Depressed Elderly (PRIDE) study. METHODS: Elderly adults (age ≥60) with MDD received an acute course of 6 times seizure threshold right unilateral ultrabrief pulse (RUL-UB) ECT. Venlafaxine was initiated during the first treatment week and continued throughout the study. A comprehensive neurocognitive battery was administered at baseline and 72 hours following the last ECT session. Statistical significance was defined as a two-sided p-value of less than 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 240 elderly adults were enrolled. Neurocognitive performance acutely declined post ECT on measures of psychomotor and verbal processing speed, autobiographical memory consistency, short-term verbal recall and recognition of learned words, phonemic fluency, and complex visual scanning/cognitive flexibility. The magnitude of change from baseline to end for most neurocognitive measures was modest. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to characterize the neurocognitive effects of combined RUL-UB ECT and venlafaxine in elderly adults with MDD and provides new evidence for the tolerability of RUL-UB ECT in an elderly sample. Of the cognitive domains assessed, only phonemic fluency, complex visual scanning, and cognitive flexibility qualitatively declined from low average to mildly impaired. While some acute changes in neurocognitive performance were statistically significant, the majority of the indices as based on the effect sizes remained relatively stable.

Continuation Electroconvulsive Therapy for Patients With Clozapine-Resistant Schizophrenia: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVES: The risk of relapse after a successful acute course of treatment is a clinical challenge in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) practice, particularly in patients with a history of marked resistance to previous treatments. Research suggests that a gradual decrease of ECT or its long-term continuation might be the best strategy. Notwithstanding, current studies do not address the role of continuation ECT in the truly refractory cases, that is, the clozapine-resistant patients. Our group published a randomized controlled trial of ECT augmentation of clozapine in clozapine-resistant patients with schizophrenia, where the augmentation was vastly superior in efficacy for the acute treatment. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the efficacy of continuation ECT for patients who showed response to the combination of acute ECT and clozapine for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. METHODS: Continuation ECT was offered to all patients who completed the acute study and who met response criterion. We followed a tapered schedule of 4 weekly ECT sessions, followed by 4 ECT sessions every 2 weeks and 2 monthly ECT sessions for a total of 10 sessions. RESULTS: Patients sustained the gains achieved with the acute course of ECT, and no individual patient presented with clinically relevant worsening of symptoms. Moreover, the long-term use of ECT was not associated with added adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: This is an open pilot study with a small sample size, and results should be interpreted accordingly, but this report offers a relevant starting point for much needed future studies.

Electroconvulsive Therapy Augmentation in Clozapine-Resistant Schizophrenia: A Prospective, Randomized Study.

(Reprinted with permission from Am J Psychiatry 2015; 172:52-58).

Effects of a Course of Right Unilateral Ultrabrief Pulse Electroconvulsive Therapy Combined With Venlafaxine on Insomnia Symptoms in Elderly Depressed Patients.

OBJECTIVE: Antidepressant medications have a variety of effects on sleep, apart from their antidepressant effects. It is unknown whether electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has effects on perceived sleep in depressed patients. This secondary analysis examines the effects of ECT on perceived sleep, separate from its antidepressant effects. METHODS: Elderly patients with major depressive disorder, as defined by DSM-IV, received open-label high-dose, right unilateral ultrabrief pulse ECT, combined with venlafaxine, as part of participating in phase 1 of the National Institute of Mental Health-supported study Prolonging Remission in Depressed Elderly (PRIDE). Phase 1 of PRIDE participant enrollment period extended from February 2009 to August 2014. Depression severity was measured with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-24 item (HDRS24), and measures of insomnia severity were extracted from the HDRS24. Participants were characterized at baseline as either "high-insomnia" or "low-insomnia" subtypes, based upon the sum of the 3 HDRS24 sleep items as either 4-6 or 0-3, respectively. Insomnia scores were followed during ECT and were adjusted for the sum of all the HDRS24 non-sleep items. Generalized linear models were used for longitudinal analysis of insomnia scores. RESULTS: Two hundred forty patients participated, with 48.3% in the high-insomnia and 51.7% in the low-insomnia group. Although there was a reduction in the insomnia scores in the high-insomnia group, only 12.4% of them experienced remission of insomnia after a course of ECT, despite an increase in utilization of sleep aids across the course of ECT, from 8.6% to 23.2%. The degree of improvement in insomnia symptoms paralleled the degree of improvement in non-insomnia symptoms. A "low" amount of improvement on the sum of the HDRS non-insomnia items (HDRS-sleep) was accompanied by a "low" amount of improvement in insomnia scores (change of -1.6 ± 1.2, P < .0001), while a "high" amount of improvement on the sum of the HDRS non-insomnia items was accompanied by a "higher" amount of improvement in insomnia scores (change of -3.1 ± 1.6, P < .0001). After adjustment for non-insomnia symptoms, there was no change in insomnia in the low-insomnia group. CONCLUSIONS: We found that ECT, combined with venlafaxine, has a modest anti-insomnia effect that is linked to its antidepressant effect. Most patients will have some degree of residual insomnia after ECT, and will require some consideration of whether additional, targeted assessment and treatment of insomnia is warranted. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01028508.

Effects of continuation electroconvulsive therapy on quality of life in elderly depressed patients: A randomized clinical trial.

We examined whether electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) plus medications ("STABLE + PHARM" group) had superior HRQOL compared with medications alone ("PHARM" group) as continuation strategy after successful acute right unilateral ECT for major depressive disorder (MDD). We hypothesized that scores from the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) would be higher during continuation treatment in the "STABLE + PHARM" group versus the "PHARM" group. The overall study design was called "Prolonging Remission in Depressed Elderly" (PRIDE). Remitters to the acute course of ECT were re-consented to enter a 6 month RCT of "STABLE + PHARM" versus "PHARM". Measures of depressive symptoms and cognitive function were completed by blind raters; SF-36 measurements were patient self-report every 4 weeks. Participants were 120 patients >60 years old. Patients with dementia, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or substance abuse were excluded. The "PHARM" group received venlafaxine and lithium. The "STABLE + PHARM" received the same medications, plus 4 weekly outpatient ECT sessions, with additional ECT session as needed. Participants were mostly female (61.7%) with a mean age of 70.5 ± 7.2 years. "STABLE + PHARM" patients received 4.5 ± 2.5 ECT sessions during Phase 2. "STABLE + PHARM" group had 7 point advantage (3.5-10.4, 95% CI) for Physical Component Score of SF-36 (P < 0.0001), and 8.2 point advantage (4.2-12.2, 95% CI) for Mental Component Score (P < 0.0001). Additional ECT resulted in overall net health benefit. Consideration should be given to administration of additional ECT to prevent relapse during the continuation phase of treatment of MDD. CLINICAL TRIALS.GOV: NCT01028508.

Effects of a right unilateral ultrabrief pulse electroconvulsive therapy course on health related quality of life in elderly depressed patients.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) referred for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) have poorer Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL), compared with other patients with MDD, but ECT is associated with significant and durable improvement in HRQOL. However, no prior research has focused exclusively on elderly patients with MDD receiving ECT. METHODS: HRQOL data from 240 depressed patients over the age of 60 was measured with the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36). The SF-36 was measured before and after a course of acute ECT. Predictors of change in HRQOL scores were identified by generalized linear modeling. RESULTS: At baseline, participants showed very poor HRQOL. After treatment with ECT, the full sample showed marked and significant improvement across all SF-36 measures, with the largest gains seen in dimensions of mental health. Across all participants, the Physical Component Summary (PCS) score improved by 2.1 standardized points (95% CI, 0.61,3.56), while the Mental Component Summary (MCS) score improved by 12.5 points (95% CI, 7.2,10.8) Compared with non-remitters, remitters showed a trend toward greater improvement in the PCS summary score of 2.7 points (95%CI, -0.45, 5.9), while the improvement in the MCS summary score was significantly greater (8.5 points, 95% CI, 4.6,12.3) in the remitters than non-remitters. Post-ECT SF-36 measurements were consistently and positively related to baseline scores and remitter/non-remitter status or change in depression severity from baseline. Objective measures of cognitive function had no significant relationships to changes in SF-36 scores. LIMITATIONS: This study's limitations include that it was an open label study with no comparison group, and generalizability is limited to elderly patients. DISCUSSION: ECT providers and elderly patients with MDD treated with ECT can be confident that ECT will result in improved HRQOL in the short-term. Attaining remission is a key factor in the improvement of HRQOL. Acute changes in select cognitive functions were outweighed by improvement in depressive symptoms in determining the short term HRQOL of the participants treated with ECT.

Right Unilateral Ultrabrief Pulse ECT in Geriatric Depression: Phase 1 of the PRIDE Study.

OBJECTIVE: The Prolonging Remission in Depressed Elderly (PRIDE) study evaluated the efficacy of right unilateral ultrabrief pulse electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) combined with venlafaxine for the treatment of geriatric depression. METHOD: PRIDE was a two-phase multisite study. Phase 1 was an acute course of right unilateral ultrabrief pulse ECT, combined with open-label venlafaxine at seven academic medical centers. In phase 2 (reported separately), patients who had remitted were randomly assigned to receive pharmacotherapy (venlafaxine plus lithium) or pharmacotherapy plus continuation ECT. In phase 1, depressed patients received high-dose ECT (at six times the seizure threshold) three times per week. Venlafaxine was started during the first week of treatment and continued throughout the study. The primary outcome measure was remission, assessed with the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), which was administered three times per week. Secondary outcome measures were post-ECT reorientation and safety. Paired t tests were used to estimate and evaluate the significance of change from baseline in HAM-D scores. RESULTS: Of 240 patients who entered phase 1 of the study, 172 completed it. Overall, 61.7% (148/240) of all patients met remission criteria, 10.0% (24/240) did not remit, and 28.3% (68/240) dropped out; 70% (169/240) met response criteria. Among those who remitted, the mean decrease in HAM-D score was 24.7 points (95% CI=23.4, 25.9), with a mean final score of 6.2 (SD=2.5) and an average change from baseline of 79%. The mean number of ECT treatments to remission was 7.3 (SD=3.1). CONCLUSIONS: Right unilateral ultrabrief pulse ECT, combined with venlafaxine, is a rapidly acting and highly effective treatment option for depressed geriatric patients, with excellent safety and tolerability. These data add to the evidence base supporting the efficacy of ECT to treat severe depression in elderly patients.

A Novel Strategy for Continuation ECT in Geriatric Depression: Phase 2 of the PRIDE Study.

OBJECTIVE: The randomized phase (phase 2) of the Prolonging Remission in Depressed Elderly (PRIDE) study evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of continuation ECT plus medication compared with medication alone in depressed geriatric patients after a successful course of ECT (phase 1). METHOD: PRIDE was a two-phase multisite study. Phase 1 was an acute course of right unilateral ultrabrief pulse ECT, augmented with venlafaxine. Phase 2 compared two randomized treatment arms: a medication only arm (venlafaxine plus lithium, over 24 weeks) and an ECT plus medication arm (four continuation ECT treatments over 1 month, plus additional ECT as needed, using the Symptom-Titrated, Algorithm-Based Longitudinal ECT [STABLE] algorithm, while continuing venlafaxine plus lithium). The intent-to-treat sample comprised 120 remitters from phase 1. The primary efficacy outcome measure was score on the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), and the secondary efficacy outcome was score on the Clinical Global Impressions severity scale (CGI-S). Tolerability as measured by neurocognitive performance (reported elsewhere) was assessed using an extensive test battery; global cognitive functioning as assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is reported here. Longitudinal mixed-effects repeated-measures modeling was used to compare ECT plus medication and medication alone for efficacy and global cognitive function outcomes. RESULTS: At 24 weeks, the ECT plus medication group had statistically significantly lower HAM-D scores than the medication only group. The difference in adjusted mean HAM-D scores at study end was 4.2 (95% CI=1.6, 6.9). Significantly more patients in the ECT plus medication group were rated "not ill at all" on the CGI-S compared with the medication only group. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in MMSE score. CONCLUSIONS: Additional ECT after remission (here operationalized as four continuation ECT treatments followed by further ECT only as needed) was beneficial in sustaining mood improvement for most patients.

Electroconvulsive therapy augmentation in clozapine-resistant schizophrenia: a prospective, randomized study.

OBJECTIVE: Up to 70% of patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia do not respond to clozapine. Pharmacological augmentation to clozapine has been studied with unimpressive results. The authors examined the use of ECT as an augmentation to clozapine for treatment-refractory schizophrenia. METHOD: In a randomized single-blind 8-week study, patients with clozapine-resistant schizophrenia were assigned to treatment as usual (clozapine group) or a course of bilateral ECT plus clozapine (ECT plus clozapine group). Nonresponders from the clozapine group received an 8-week open trial of ECT (crossover phase). ECT was performed three times per week for the first 4 weeks and twice weekly for the last 4 weeks. Clozapine dosages remained constant. Response was defined as ≥40% reduction in symptoms based on the psychotic symptom subscale of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, a Clinical Global Impressions (CGI)-severity rating <3, and a CGI-improvement rating ≤2. RESULTS: The intent-to-treat sample included 39 participants (ECT plus clozapine group, N=20; clozapine group, N=19). All 19 patients from the clozapine group received ECT in the crossover phase. Fifty percent of the ECT plus clozapine patients met the response criterion. None of the patients in the clozapine group met the criterion. In the crossover phase, response was 47%. There were no discernible differences between groups on global cognition. Two patients required the postponement of an ECT session because of mild confusion. CONCLUSIONS: The augmentation of clozapine with ECT is a safe and effective treatment option. Further research is required to determine the persistence of the improvement and the potential need for maintenance treatments.

A randomized controlled trial comparing the memory effects of continuation electroconvulsive therapy versus continuation pharmacotherapy: results from the Consortium for Research in ECT (CORE) study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the memory effects of continuation electroconvulsive therapy (C-ECT) versus continuation pharmacologic intervention (C-PHARM) at 12 and 24 weeks after completion of acute electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). METHOD: Eighty-five patients with Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-diagnosed unipolar major depressive disorder, enrolled in a multisite, randomized, parallel-design trial conducted at 5 academic medical centers from 1997 to 2004, who had remitted with an acute course of bilateral ECT and remained unrelapsed through 24 weeks of continuation therapy, were included in this analysis. They were randomly assigned to C-ECT (10 treatments) or nortriptyline plus lithium (monitored by serum blood levels) for 24 weeks. Objective neuropsychological measures of retrograde and anterograde memory and subjective assessment of memory were obtained at baseline, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks. The Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test and the Autobiographical Memory Interview were the primary outcome measures. RESULTS: The C-PHARM group showed a greater group difference (P < .01) for baseline to 12-week change for the Autobiographical Memory Interview. No other memory measures showed group differences for change scores from baseline to 12 weeks. Groups showed no baseline to 24-week change-score differences on any of the memory measures. For both groups, 12-week objective anterograde memory scores (eg, Auditory-Verbal Learning Test percent retention P = .0001; Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure or Taylor Figure percent retention P < .002) and 24-week subjective memory scores were significantly improved (Squire Subjective Memory Questionnaire P < .02) over baseline. This result reflects the apparent resolution of a presumed decrement in anterograde memory associated with acute ECT preceding this study. CONCLUSIONS: The finding of no memory outcome differences between unrelapsed recipients of C-ECT and C-PHARM is consistent with clinical experience. Memory effects have only a small role in the choice between C-ECT and C-PHARM.

Bifrontal, bitemporal and right unilateral electrode placement in ECT: randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for major depression. Optimising efficacy and minimising cognitive impairment are goals of ongoing technical refinements. AIMS: To compare the efficacy and cognitive effects of a novel electrode placement, bifrontal, with two standard electrode placements, bitemporal and right unilateral in ECT. METHOD: This multicentre randomised, double-blind, controlled trial (NCT00069407) was carried out from 2001 to 2006. A total of 230 individuals with major depression, bipolar and unipolar, were randomly assigned to one of three electrode placements during a course of ECT: bifrontal at one and a half times seizure threshold, bitemporal at one and a half times seizure threshold and right unilateral at six times seizure threshold. RESULTS: All three electrode placements resulted in both clinically and statistically significant antidepressant outcomes. Remission rates were 55% (95% CI 43-66%) with right unilateral, 61% with bifrontal (95% CI 50-71%) and 64% (95% CI 53-75%) with bitemporal. Bitemporal resulted in a more rapid decline in symptom ratings over the early course of treatment. Cognitive data revealed few differences between the electrode placements on a variety of neuropsychological instruments. CONCLUSIONS: Each electrode placement is a very effective antidepressant treatment when given with appropriate electrical dosing. Bitemporal leads to more rapid symptom reduction and should be considered the preferred placement for urgent clinical situations. The cognitive profile of bifrontal is not substantially different from that of bitemporal.

Is baseline medication resistance associated with potential for relapse after successful remission of a depressive episode with ECT? Data from the Consortium for Research on Electroconvulsive Therapy (CORE).

OBJECTIVE: To test whether pre-electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) medication resistance is associated with post-ECT relapse rates. METHOD: In a post hoc analysis of data from a large multicenter trial of post-ECT relapse prevention strategies (conducted from May 1997 to July 2004), we assessed whether response to antidepressant medications prior to ECT for a unipolar nonpsychotic depressive episode (DSM-IV) was associated with differential relapse rates after remission with ECT. Baseline (i.e., pre-ECT) medication use was assessed with the Antidepressant Treatment History Form. Following remission with ECT that was stable for 1 week, patients were randomly assigned to receive 6 months of treatment with either combination lithium carbonate/nortriptyline or continuation ECT. Relapse was assessed with the 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. There were 146 patients followed in the first week after remission (termed the interim week in this study), and 73 in the randomized phase of the study. For the purposes of this trial, medication resistance is defined as not having responded to at least 1 adequate trial of an antidepressant medication before ECT. RESULTS: In the first week after acute remission, 9.8% of patients not having at least 1 antidepressant medication trial met relapse criteria, while 31.4% of medication-resistant patients met relapse criteria, a difference that was statistically significant (p = .026). In the randomized phase of the study, 34.6% of non-medication-resistant patients relapsed, while 50.0% of medication-resistant patients relapsed, a difference that was not significant (p = .434). CONCLUSION: We conclude that nonpsychotic patients who had at least 1 adequate antidepressant medication trial before ECT may be especially prone to early relapse after successful acute remission with ECT.

The efficacy of acute electroconvulsive therapy in atypical depression.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the characteristics and outcomes of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), with or without atypical features, who were treated with acute bilateral electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). METHOD: Analyses were conducted with 489 patients who met DSM-IV criteria for MDD. Subjects were identified as typical or atypical on the basis of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV obtained at baseline prior to ECT. Depression symptom severity was measured by the 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D(24)) and the 30-item Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self-Report (IDS-SR(30)). Remission was defined as at least a 60% decrease from baseline in HAM-D(24) score and a total score of 10 or below on the last 2 consecutive HAM-D(24) ratings. The randomized controlled trial was performed from 1997 to 2004. RESULTS: The typical (N = 453) and atypical (N = 36) groups differed in several sociodemographic and clinical variables including gender (p = .0071), age (p = .0005), treatment resistance (p = .0014), and age at first illness onset (p < .0001) and onset of current episode (p = .0008). Following an acute course of bilateral ECT, a considerable portion of both the typical (67.1%) and the atypical (80.6%) groups reached remission. The atypical group was 2.6 (95% CI = 1.1 to 6.2) times more likely to remit than the typical group after adjustment for age, psychosis, gender, clinical site, and depression severity based on the HAM-D(24). CONCLUSION: Acute ECT is an efficacious treatment for depressed patients with typical or atypical symptom features. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00000375.

Catatonia in autistic twins: role of electroconvulsive therapy.

Autism and Asperger disorder are pervasive developmental disorders that impair social interactions and communications. They are characterized by repetitive and stereotyped behaviors. Catatonia, a syndrome which is most often associated with schizophrenia and affective disorders, is seen in up to 6% of patients with autistic spectrum disorders and in 12% to 17% of adolescents with these disorders. Catatonic symptoms in these cases have been responsive to treatment with electroconvulsive therapy. We report a case of adolescent identical twins with PDD/Asperger disorder who exhibited catatonia and were successfully treated with electroconvulsive therapy.

Continuation electroconvulsive therapy vs pharmacotherapy for relapse prevention in major depression: a multisite study from the Consortium for Research in Electroconvulsive Therapy (CORE).

BACKGROUND: Although electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been shown to be extremely effective for the acute treatment of major depression, it has never been systematically assessed as a strategy for relapse prevention. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the comparative efficacy of continuation ECT (C-ECT) and the combination of lithium carbonate plus nortriptyline hydrochloride (C-Pharm) in the prevention of depressive relapse. DESIGN: Multisite, randomized, parallel design, 6-month trial performed from 1997 to 2004. SETTING: Five academic medical centers and their outpatient psychiatry clinics. PATIENTS: Two hundred one patients with Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-diagnosed unipolar depression who had remitted with a course of bilateral ECT. INTERVENTIONS: Random assignment to 2 treatment groups receiving either C-ECT (10 treatments) or C-Pharm for 6 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Relapse of depression, compared between the C-ECT and C-Pharm groups. RESULTS: In the C-ECT group, 37.1% experienced disease relapse, 46.1% continued to have disease remission at the study end, and 16.8% dropped out of the study. In the C-Pharm group, 31.6% experienced disease relapse, 46.3% continued to have disease remission, and 22.1% dropped out of the study. Both Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses indicated no statistically significant differences in overall survival curves and time to relapse for the groups. Mean +/- SD time to relapse for the C-ECT group was 9.1 +/- 7.0 weeks compared with 6.7 +/- 4.6 weeks for the C-Pharm group (P = .13). Both groups had relapse proportions significantly lower than a historical placebo control from a similarly designed study. CONCLUSIONS: Both C-ECT and C-Pharm were shown to be superior to a historical placebo control, but both had limited efficacy, with more than half of patients either experiencing disease relapse or dropping out of the study. Even more effective strategies for relapse prevention in mood disorders are urgently needed.

ECT treatment of a patient with aortic aneurysms.

We present the case of an 82-year-old man with 2 aortic aneurysms and multiple medical problems. The presentation describes the pre-electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) evaluations of the patient's problems and the measures used to control the possible dangerous fluctuations in blood pressure during the procedure. We hope that the successful outcome reported here will increase the likelihood that ECT will be considered for other patients with aortic aneurysms who have treatment-resistant depression.