Cardiovascular Effects of High-Frequency Magnetic Seizure Therapy Compared With Electroconvulsive Therapy

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Jun-Yan Zhang, Capital Medical University; Han Wu, Capital Medical University; Li-Na Jia, Capital Medical University; Wei Jiang, Capital Medical University; Jiong Luo, Capital Medical University; Yi Liu, Capital Medical University; Qi Gao, Capital Medical University; Yan-Ping Ren, Capital Medical University; Xin Ma, Capital Medical University; Yilang Tang, Emory University; William McDonald, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-09-01
• Publisher: LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/YCT.0000000000000833
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: JOURNAL OF ECT
• Volume: 38
• Issue: 3
• Start Page: 185
• End Page: 191
• Keywords: CATECHOLAMINE; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Science & Technology; Behavioral Sciences; SAFETY; HEART-RATE; MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER; electroconvulsive therapy; cardiovascular effects; Psychiatry; STIMULATION; EFFICACY; magnetic seizure therapy; MST
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Mental Health; Health Sciences, Epidemiology

Abstract

Background Magnetic seizure therapy (MST) is a novel convulsive therapy that has been shown to have antidepressant efficacy comparable to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) with fewer cognitive side effects. However, the cardiovascular (CVS) effects of high frequency MST in comparison to ECT have not been investigated. Materials and Methods Forty-five patients with depression received 6 treatment sessions of 100 Hz MST versus 6 bifrontal ECT treatments in a nonrandomized comparative clinical design. Data on CVS function including heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and rate pressure product (RPP) were collected at baseline (T0), after the induction of anesthesia but before the electrical stimulation (T1), during convulsion (T2), 2 minutes after cessation of motor seizure (T3), 5 minutes after cessation of motor seizure (T4), and 10 minutes after cessation of motor seizure (T5). Comparisons were made with baseline data and between MST and ECT groups. Results There were statistically significant elevations in the maximum HR, SBP, DBP, and RPP in patients receiving ECT compared with MST both in the initial and sixth treatments (all P < 0.05). Particularly, at T2, the ECT group had significantly higher HR, SBP, DBP, and RPP than those in MST group both in initial and sixth treatment (all P < 0.001). At the sixth treatment, the ECT group had significantly higher SBP, DBP, and RPP during the treatment than in the MST group (all P < 0.001). Limitations The anesthetic choices for this study may limit the generalizability of our findings. The sample size was relatively small. Conclusions Compared with ECT, high-frequency MST has fewer CVS side effects and may be a safer option for depression patients with CVS disorders.