Efficacy and Safety of Cisatracurium in Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Randomized, Single-blind, Clinical Trial

Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is widely accepted as a safe and effective treatment in psychiatric patients. Although succinylcholine is the choice of muscle relaxant in this process, its adverse effects and contraindications must be considered. Objectives: This study investigated the efficacy of cisatracurium as an alternative in ECT patients.  Materials Methods: This single-blind clinical trial was performed in an academic hospital in Northern Iran from July 2023 to March 2024. A total of 62 eligible ECT patients were enrolled in the survey and randomly divided into succinylcholine (0.5 mg/kg) and cisatracurium (0.1 mg/kg) groups. Seizure duration, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, the time to return to spontaneous breathing, and recovery time were recorded and compared between the two groups. Results: No significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding seizure duration and hemodynamic parameters (P 0.05). However, the time to return to spontaneous breathing (P=0.0001) and recovery time (P=0.0001) were significantly longer in the cisatracurium group. None of the patients was affected by serious adverse effects. Conclusion: Cisatracurium is a safe alternative to succinylcholine and can be administrated during ECT.