Electroconvulsive therapy and the chronic use of pseudocholinesterase-inhibitor (echothiophate iodide) eye drops for glaucoma. A case report.

Author(s): Messer GJ, Stoudemire A, Knos G, Johnson GC

Affiliation(s): Medical Psychiatry Unit, Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia.

Publication date & source: 1992-01, Gen Hosp Psychiatry., 14(1):56-60.

Publication type: Case Reports

A case is presented in which a patient who required treatment with electroconvulsive therapy had a history of being treated with pseudocholinesterase-inhibitor eye drops (echothiophate iodide) for glaucoma. As treatment with this antiglaucoma agent contraindicated the use of succinylcholine for a minimum of 10-14 days, the short-acting nondepolarizing agent atracurium was employed instead. The anesthetic management of this patient is described as a guide for clinicians facing similar clinical situations.