Anesthetic induction for ECT with etomidate is associated with longer seizure duration than thiopentone
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Updated: Oct 29, 2026

Induction of an Isoelectric Brain State to Investigate the Impact of Endogenous Synaptic Activity on Neuronal Excitability In Vivo
Published on: March 31, 2016
1Department of Psychiatry, University of the Witwatersrand Medical School, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Abstract:
Many factors influence seizure duration associated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). This is a chart review study to assess seizure duration measured with both electroencephalography and electromyography after anesthetic induction with either thiopentone or etomidate. Thirty-seven patients receiving ECT for depression were entered into the study, and a pair of seizures was measured from each patient. Alternate induction agents were used in sequential pairings, and the study was controlled for interval between seizures, laterality, and percent energy. Etomidate was associated with a significantly (p = 0.0002, F = 15.84, df = 1, analysis of variance) longer seizure duration (mean = 34.43 s, SD = 16.06) than thiopentone (mean = 21.73 s, SD = 9.33).
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