ECT Procedure
 
 
                   ECT involves a series of treatments. For each treatment, you will be brought
              to a specially equipped room in this hospital. The treatments are usually given in the
              morning, before breakfast. Because the treatments involve general anesthesia, you
              will have had nothing to drink or eat for at least 6 hours before each treatment,
              unless special orders have been written by the doctor to receive medicines with a sip
              of water. An intravenous line (IV) is placed in your arm so that medicines that are
              part of the procedure can be given. One of these is an anesthetic drug that will
              quickly put you to sleep. When you are asleep, you are given a second drug that
              relaxes your muscles. Because you are asleep, you do not experience pain or
              discomfort during the procedure. You do not feel the electrical current and when you
              wake up you have no memory of the treatment.
 
                   To prepare for the treatments, monitoring sensors are placed on your head and
              chest. Blood pressure cuffs are placed on one arm and one ankle. This enables the
              physician to monitor your brain waves, heart, and blood pressure. These recordings
              involve no pain or discomfort.
 
                   After you are asleep, a small, carefully controlled amount of electricity is
              passed between two electrodes that have been placed on your head. Depending on
              where the electrodes are placed, you may receive either bilateral ECT or unilateral
              ECT. In bilateral ECT, one electrode is placed on the left side of the head, the other
              on the right side. When the current is passed, a generalized seizure is produced in
              the brain. Because you will be given a medication to relax your muscles, muscular
              contractions in your body that would ordinarily accompany a seizure will be
              considerably softened. You will be given oxygen to breathe. The seizure will last for
              approximately one minute.
 
              Within a few minutes, the anesthetic drug will wear off an you will awaken.
              You will be brought to a recovery room, where you will be observed unfit you are
              ready to leave the ECT area and return to the unit.