Electroconvulsive Therapy Anesthesia Practice Patterns: Results of A UK Postal Survey

• Published in: The journal of ECT Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 81 - 85
• Main Authors: Bwalya, Godfrey M, Srinivasan, Venkatasubramanian, Wang, Michael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc 01-03-2011; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies
• Subjects: Anesthesia; Anesthesia depending on type of surgery; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Anesthesiology - trends; Biological and medical sciences; Compliance; Electroconvulsive Therapy; Hospitals; Humans; Medical sciences; Neurosurgery; Patient safety; Postal Service; Practice Patterns, Physicians' - trends; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Surveys and Questionnaires; Treatments; United Kingdom; United Kingdom; Europe; United Kingdom > UK; Social environment; Human; Evaluation; Electroconvulsive therapy; anesthesia monitoring; Mental health; ECTAS guidelines; ECT Accreditation Service (ECTAS); pre-ECT assessment; Recommendation; electroconvulsive therapy (ECT); Mail inquiry; Treatment; Anesthesia; Accreditation; Application method; Public health
• ISSN: 1095-0680; 1533-4112
• DOI: 10.1097/YCT.0b013e3181df1d4f

OBJECTIVE:To review anesthesia practice patterns associated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the UK.
METHODS:A 12-item questionnaire survey on the practice of ECT anesthesia was sent to all units in the UK identified as providing ECT services.
RESULTS:One hundred thirty active ECT units were identified. Sixty-six (51%) responded. Forty-five percent of respondents worked in units located within acute hospital boundaries and 53% outside acute hospital boundaries. Forty-seven percent of respondents were associated with units providing consultant anesthetic cover for 75-100% of ECT sessions. Twenty-seven percent of the units did not use capnography, 17% did not use continuous electrocardiography, and 16% did not use noninvasive blood pressure monitoring.
LIMITATIONS:Results were entirely from respondents. No practices were directly observed.
CONCLUSIONS:Although there is apparent widespread recognition of ECT Accreditation Service guidelines, compliance with recommended standards is variable. Given the typically high comorbidity of ECT patients, and indications of elevated anesthetic risk from non-UK studies, this has important implications for the safety of ECT anesthesia in the UK.