Electroconvulsive Therapy in Palliative Care

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a highly effective psychiatric treatment for states of depression, mania, psychosis, or behavioral agitation in dementia. As it does involve intravenous access, general anesthesia, and significant side effects, it may be viewed as too ‘‘invasive’’ for patients on p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of hospice & palliative medicine 2011-08, Vol.28 (5), p.375-377
Main Authors: Rasmussen, Keith G., Richardson, Jarrett W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Electroconvulsive Therapy - methods
Humans
Nursing
Pain, Intractable - therapy
Palliative Care - methods
Quality of Health Care
Severity of Illness Index
Treatment Outcome
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Summary:Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a highly effective psychiatric treatment for states of depression, mania, psychosis, or behavioral agitation in dementia. As it does involve intravenous access, general anesthesia, and significant side effects, it may be viewed as too ‘‘invasive’’ for patients on palliative care measures. However, we describe several patients treated on our busy ECT service at a tertiary hospital, who were receiving palliative care who, on balance, were felt to have better quality of life with continued use of ECT. We conclude that ECT should not be automatically discarded in patients receiving palliative care and offer some guidelines for its use in this population.
ISSN:1049-9091
1938-2715
DOI:10.1177/1049909110390203