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Letter to the Editor

Asystole in ECT

Raymond A. Faber

Published: December 15, 1997

Article Abstract

Letter to the Editor

Sir: In an excellent discussion of asystole in electroconvulsive
therapy, Dr. McCall makes a number of useful suggestions
to minimize the likelihood that asystole will occur. I would like
to amplify his treatment recommendation of intravenous atropine
injection. Without cardiac function during asystole, atropine
administered through a peripheral vein will not reach the
heart unless "pushed" by a 20- to 30-mL fluid bolus followed by
elevation of the arm.


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