Midazolam is a short acting benzodiazepine that has been used for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) anesthesia. The purpose of this study was to determine whether midazolam used for this purpose would impair the antidepressive efficacy of ECT. In a double-blind random-assignment study midazolam was compared to methohexital on the antidepressive efficacy of bilateral ECT as measured by the reduction in the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scores and seizure duration. Sixteen DSM-III-R major depressive disorder patients with melancholia were included. Midazolam and methohexital did not differ in their effects on the MADRS score or seizure duration; no correlation was found between seizure duration and outcome of depression for either group. Our preliminary findings do not support the claim that benzodiazepines should not be used during bilateral ECT.

Status epilepticus (SE), both convulsive and nonconvulsive, is a rare adverse effect of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). This case report describes SE post-ECT associated with central nervous system (CNS) metastatic melanoma and reviews pertinent literature. The authors recommend that when CNS pathology is suspected, pre-ECT neurology consultation, neuroimaging, and EEG all may be indicated. This is especially important for patients with histories of primary cancers, such as melanoma, that metastasise to the brain.

The authors summarize a case wherein trazodone was utilized to maintain therapeutic seizure duration during electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and review the literature in detail (36 references).