Electroconvulsive therapy in patients with vagus nerve stimulation.
Numerous studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for various psychiatric conditions, and it has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of refractory depression. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration also approved vagus nerve stimulation as a treatment for chronic or recurrent depression. Although electrical stimulation is used for both ECT and vagus nerve stimulation, the mechanisms of their action are very different. The American Psychiatric Association task force identifies no absolute contraindications to the use of ECT. The authors present 2 interesting cases of successful ECT in combination with vagus nerve stimulator.
Sharma
Ashish
A
Department of Psychiatry, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-8470, USA. asharma2@unmc.edu
Chaturvedi
Rajeev
R
Sharma
Arun
A
Sorrell
James H
JH
D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000502:physiology*