Journal of Anesthesiology and Pain

Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is used in the treatment of various medicalconditions such as severe depression, mainly in situations where the patient does not respondeffectively to drug treatment and during pregnancy where drug intake can result in severecomplication for fetus. ECT  carried out under general anesthesia, therefore before ECT some physical exam and some lab data is necessary. Patients who are ECT candidates also include diabetic patients which renders the study of the effect of ECT on blood glucose and serum electrolyte level significantly important.
Methods: Blood sample were taken from patients before induction of anesthesia. After 30 seconds preoxygenation anesthesia was induced by making use of sodium thiopental and succiniylcholine .20 minutes after ECT, the second blood samples were taken. The resulting data was gathered and then subjected to statistical analysis.
Results: To investigate changes in blood sugar and serum electrolytes level in 70 patients who were subjected to ECT, significant changes were noted in pre and post ECT in glucose between men and  women and sodium in men and women and potassium in men. But no significant changes were noted in pre and post ECT calcium level and in potassium level in women.
Conclusion: ECT carried out under general anesthesia therefore pre ECT physical exam andblood samples are required. Electrolytes change under ECT, therefore attention to theseelectrolytes specially sodium and potassium  are important