Abstract

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is known to be the most effective treatment for patients with depression with psychotic features who are hospitalized, have a severe course, and have high risk for suicide. There are a few cases in the literature regarding the safety of ECT use in patients with a cardiac pacemaker. In this article, it was aimed to present the safe use of ECT in a patient who was hospitalized with the diagnosis of "Major depression with psychotic features" and had a cardiac pacemaker. In this patient with major depression who had a cardiac pacemaker, no complications developed during performing ECT for 7 sessions without using succinylcholine under general anesthesia and without setting the pacemaker. A cardiac pacemaker should not be considered a contraindication for the safe use of ECT, but controlled studies are needed in this regard.

Key words: Electroconvulsive Therapy, Cardiac Pacemaker, Depression