Comparison of ketofol (ketamine and propofol) and etomidate in electro convulsive therapy: A double-blinded randomized controlled trial

Background and Aims: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most effective treatment modality for severe and medication-resistant psychiatric disorders. ECT provokes generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Induction of optimal seizures (duration of motor seizures >15 s) is considered as an important goal during the ECT procedure. We compared ketofol and etomidate as induction agents in ECT with respect to the seizure duration and seizure threshold as there is less information available in the literature. Methods: One hundred and twenty patients posted for ECT were randomized into two groups. Group A received ketofol 1:1 (ketamine 0.5 mg/kg + propofol 0.5 mg/kg), while as Group B received etomidate 0.2 mg/kg. After administration of the muscle relaxant (succinylcholine 0.5 mg/kg) ECT was delivered. The primary outcome was seizure duration, and secondary outcomes such as seizure threshold, hemodynamic parameters, recovery profile, and any complications were noted. Motor seizure duration was recorded as the time interval between starting of the seizure episode until the cessation of tonic-clonic motor activity in the isolated upper limb. Data were entered in MS-Excel and analyzed in SPSS V22. Descriptive statistics were represented with percentages, and parametric data were represented with mean with standard deviation. The statistical analysis was carried out using the Chi-square test, independent t-test. A Probability (P) value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in seizure duration between two groups with Group A having less meantime 38 ± 14.9 s compared to Group B 45.3 ± 17.5 s with P = 0.014. Seizure threshold, hemodynamic parameters, recovery profile, and complications except myoclonus were not statistically significant between the two groups. Conclusion: Etomidate has the definite advantage of longer seizure duration compared to ketofol, and hence, etomidate is a better induction agent in patients with psychiatric disorders undergoing ECT.