Conventional and multiple-monitored electroconvulsive therapy. A comparison in major depressive episodes.

In retrospective and anecdotal reports, multiple-monitored electroconvulsive therapy (MMECT), a procedure in which a number of seizures are induced within a single treatment session, has been noted to be as effective more rapidly than conventional electroconvulsive therapy (CECT). However, several studies have reported an increased risk of very long seizures and prolonged confusional states with the multiple procedure. The present study investigated CECT and MMECT in a prospective, single-blind protocol measuring a number of variables within three general areas of concern: efficacy, safety, and efficiency of treatment. Results indicate that CECT and MMECT were equally effective in 54 patients with a major depressive episode; the treatments differed, however, in persistence of side effects and in efficiency as measured by cost-effectiveness and the utilization of staff and physician time.