[Anesthesia for electroconvulsive therapy: propofol versus thiopental]

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Pharmacology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Sismotherapy anesthesia requires short duration, deep narcosis, and muscle relaxation.
• Anesthetic drugs must have rapid onset for quick patient awakening.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy and safety of propofol versus thiopentone for anesthesia in sismotherapy.
• To evaluate anesthetic characteristics including onset time, duration, narcosis quality, and side effects.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 40 sismotherapy sessions under general anesthesia.
• Patients were divided into two groups: 20 receiving thiopentone (2-3 mg/kg) and 20 receiving propofol (1-1.5 mg/kg).
• Monitoring included electrocardioscope and pulpe oxymeter; key parameters evaluated were onset, duration, narcosis quality, muscle relaxation, and vital signs.

Main Results:

• Both propofol and thiopentone provided excellent anesthesia quality and deep muscle relaxation.
• Propofol showed a faster onset of action (30 seconds) compared to thiopentone (45 seconds).
• Average doses were 167 mg for propofol and 202 mg for thiopentone, with both drugs demonstrating effective narcosis.

Conclusions:

• Thiopentone is a viable and recommended anesthetic for sismotherapy due to its cost-effectiveness, good tolerance, and adequate anesthetic properties.
• While propofol offers faster onset, thiopentone's overall profile, including ease of administration and lower cost, makes it a suitable choice.
• Both agents ensure deep anesthesia and satisfactory awakening, but thiopentone presents advantages in terms of cost and side effect profile for this specific application.