Evolving electroconvulsive therapy practices at a French psychiatric hospital: A retrospective study

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective and widely used treatment for managing severe and/or resistant psychiatric disorders. Historically, the bitemporal setup (BT) and the age-based dosing method (ABM) have been the most common approaches. However, more recent practices, including the titration method (TM), right unilateral (RUL) electrode placement, and pulse width reduction, appear to have comparable efficacy and better tolerability. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate clinical outcomes before and after the implementation of these new practices at Sainte-Anne Hospital (GHU psychiatrie & neurosciences), the largest psychiatric hospital in Paris, France.

This retrospective study included adult patients who underwent an acute course of ECT between December 2022 and May 2024. Clinical and sociodemographic data, stimulation parameters (electrodes placement, ABM vs. TM, charge difference between first and last session), and seizure characteristics (seizure duration and postictal suppression during first and last session) were collected from medical records. Data were compared and analyzed before and after the implementation of the new practices and according to the dosing method (ABM vs. TM). For treatments with TM the administered charge determined by the TM was also compared with the theoretical charge determined by ABM. As not all data followed a normal distribution, comparisons of quantitative data were made using the Mann-Whitney or Kruskal-Wallis test. Categorical data were compared using Chi² test.

Data from 75 patients were included, of whom 72 completed the course of ECT and were included in the analysis of efficacy and tolerability. Compared with the previous practices, the new practices resulted in a significant reduction in charge increase between the first and the last session (P<0.01) and a trend toward less frequently perceived memory disturbances (-21%, P<0.10), with no significant differences in sociodemographic data or seizure characteristics (P>0.05). There was a trend towards more full responders with the new practices (+15%), albeit the difference was statistically non-significant. Compared with ABM, TM resulted in a significant reduction in charge difference (P<0.001) and a trend toward less perceived memory disturbances (-23%, P<0.10) with no significant differences in other variables (P>0.05). In patients who received ECT with the TM, the administered charge was significantly lower than the theoretical charge (P<0.01).

The new ECT practices improve tolerability, especially regarding memory, while maintaining clinical efficacy by using reduced electrical charges. These findings highlight the importance of personalizing ECT protocols to optimize tolerability without compromising efficacy.