The effect of intravenous lignocaine on cardiac arrhythmias during electroconvulsive therapy.

The effects of intravenous lignocaine and atropine in preventing cardiac arrhythmias were evaluated in forty-five psychiatric patients undergoing electroconvulsive therapy. During the electrical shock a more prolonged asystole was observed in the lignocaine than in the atropine group. During the tonic-donic seizure ventricular extrasystoles appeared in six atropinized patients. During the postconvulsive period fourteen patients premedicated with atropine exhibited ventricular extrasystole and tachycardia, whereas in five pretreated with hgnocaine auriculoventricular block was noted. Lignocaine pretreatment significantly reduced the duration of the somatic convulsion. It is concluded that lignocaine is a valuable premedicant for electroconvulsive therapy in patients with ventricular arrhythmias or when atropine administration is contraindicated.