Acute bilateral ECT in a depressed patient with a hip-aztreonam-spacer and subsequent maintenance ECT after prosthesis collocation

Int Psychogeriatr. 2014 Nov 10:1-4. doi: 10.1017/S104161021400235X. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) has been demonstrated to be a safe and effective treatment for geriatric depression, although its application might be challenging when medical comorbidities exist. The present case reports a 78-year-old man diagnosed with recurrent unipolar major depressive disorder (MDD), who presented with a severe depressive episode with psychotic features (DSM IV). He successfully received a course of bitemporal (BT) ECT with a hip-aztreonam-spacer due to a hip fracture that occurred during hospitalization. This was followed by maintenance ECT (M-ECT) with a recent prosthesis collocation. This particular case illustrates the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in geriatric patients with somatic complications receiving ECT.