Modified Electroconvulsive Therapy in a Patient with Gastric Adenocarcinoma and Metastases to Bone and Liver

Background. In addition to general anesthesia, muscle relaxants are given prior to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in order to prevent musculoskeletal injury. Higher doses of muscle relaxants have been suggested for patients at high risk for bone fractures; however, there are adverse side effects as...

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Main Authors: Gennie Wang, Brian Milne, Rachel Rooney, Tarit Saha
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2014-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Psychiatry
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/203910
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author Gennie Wang
Brian Milne
Rachel Rooney
Tarit Saha
author_facet Gennie Wang
Brian Milne
Rachel Rooney
Tarit Saha
author_sort Gennie Wang
collection DOAJ
description Background. In addition to general anesthesia, muscle relaxants are given prior to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in order to prevent musculoskeletal injury. Higher doses of muscle relaxants have been suggested for patients at high risk for bone fractures; however, there are adverse side effects associated with these higher doses. Aims. We present a successful case of ECT to treat chronic major depressive disorder in a 62-year-old woman at high risk of bone fracture due to gastric adenocarcinoma with metastases to bone and liver. Case. Increasing doses of the muscle relaxant succinylcholine (0.45–0.74 mg/kg) were sufficient to prevent musculoskeletal complications throughout the course of 9 bifrontal ECT treatments. Following treatment, the patient reported and demonstrated markedly improved mood and functionality, enabling her transfer to a palliative care facility. Conclusion. Standard doses of succinylcholine were sufficient to mitigate the risk of pathological fractures in this patient with metastatic bone lesions. As there are established risks to using high doses of succinylcholine, with no evidence that higher doses reduce the incidence of fractures in high-risk populations, we suggest taking a conservative approach, using clinical observation and periodic plain radiography to dictate succinylcholine dose titration in such high-risk patients.
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spelling doaj-art-8fd764fe204040db994f45b79e6088a12025-02-03T01:31:41ZengWileyCase Reports in Psychiatry2090-682X2090-68382014-01-01201410.1155/2014/203910203910Modified Electroconvulsive Therapy in a Patient with Gastric Adenocarcinoma and Metastases to Bone and LiverGennie Wang0Brian Milne1Rachel Rooney2Tarit Saha3School of Medicine, Queen’s University, 80 Barrie Street, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, CanadaDepartment of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, Queen’s University, Victory 2, Kingston General Hospital, 76 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON, K7L 2V7, CanadaDepartment of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, Queen’s University, Victory 2, Kingston General Hospital, 76 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON, K7L 2V7, CanadaDepartment of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, Queen’s University, Victory 2, Kingston General Hospital, 76 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON, K7L 2V7, CanadaBackground. In addition to general anesthesia, muscle relaxants are given prior to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in order to prevent musculoskeletal injury. Higher doses of muscle relaxants have been suggested for patients at high risk for bone fractures; however, there are adverse side effects associated with these higher doses. Aims. We present a successful case of ECT to treat chronic major depressive disorder in a 62-year-old woman at high risk of bone fracture due to gastric adenocarcinoma with metastases to bone and liver. Case. Increasing doses of the muscle relaxant succinylcholine (0.45–0.74 mg/kg) were sufficient to prevent musculoskeletal complications throughout the course of 9 bifrontal ECT treatments. Following treatment, the patient reported and demonstrated markedly improved mood and functionality, enabling her transfer to a palliative care facility. Conclusion. Standard doses of succinylcholine were sufficient to mitigate the risk of pathological fractures in this patient with metastatic bone lesions. As there are established risks to using high doses of succinylcholine, with no evidence that higher doses reduce the incidence of fractures in high-risk populations, we suggest taking a conservative approach, using clinical observation and periodic plain radiography to dictate succinylcholine dose titration in such high-risk patients.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/203910
spellingShingle Gennie Wang
Brian Milne
Rachel Rooney
Tarit Saha
Modified Electroconvulsive Therapy in a Patient with Gastric Adenocarcinoma and Metastases to Bone and Liver
Case Reports in Psychiatry
title Modified Electroconvulsive Therapy in a Patient with Gastric Adenocarcinoma and Metastases to Bone and Liver
title_full Modified Electroconvulsive Therapy in a Patient with Gastric Adenocarcinoma and Metastases to Bone and Liver
title_fullStr Modified Electroconvulsive Therapy in a Patient with Gastric Adenocarcinoma and Metastases to Bone and Liver
title_full_unstemmed Modified Electroconvulsive Therapy in a Patient with Gastric Adenocarcinoma and Metastases to Bone and Liver
title_short Modified Electroconvulsive Therapy in a Patient with Gastric Adenocarcinoma and Metastases to Bone and Liver
title_sort modified electroconvulsive therapy in a patient with gastric adenocarcinoma and metastases to bone and liver
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/203910
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