[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/) › [Mental health and psychiatric nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/mental-health/) › Electroconvulsive therapy: preparation, recovery and memory effects # Electroconvulsive therapy: preparation, recovery and memory effects - Procedure ECT is given under general anaesthesia; the nurse teaches, checks consent and fasting, prepares the person and monitors recovery, confusion and memory. Updated Nov 13, 2026 ## Key points - Written informed consent before ECT; if the person cannot decide, consent follows current law and the institutional protocol. - Prepare as for anaesthesia: fasting as ordered, ask which usual medicines to give that morning, remove jewellery and metal objects, IV access. - After the session: airway, breathing, circulation and vital signs until awake; fall precautions after anaesthesia. - Short-term confusion, headache, muscle soreness and nausea are common; memory gaps around the treatment period may occur. - Screen memory and orientation before and after the course, as the protocol sets. - An outpatient needs an adult to take them home. ## What it is Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) uses a brief, controlled electrical stimulus to cause a seizure in the brain while the person is under general anaesthesia and a muscle relaxant. It is used mainly for severe depression that has not responded to other treatment, or when a fast response is needed (suicide risk, psychotic depression, catatonia), and sometimes for mania. A course is usually several sessions over some weeks. The team includes a psychiatrist, an anaesthesiologist and a nurse. The nurse prepares the person as for minor surgery, supports them, and monitors airway, vital signs, confusion and memory after each session. ## Indications - Severe major depression not responding to medicines or psychotherapy. - When a rapid response is needed: high suicide risk, depression with psychotic features, catatonia. - Severe depression in a person who cannot take antidepressants, including during pregnancy, as the team decides. - Less often: mania or psychosis that does not improve enough with other treatment. ## Contraindications and precautions - No ECT without valid written informed consent; the person and family receive full information on benefits, risks and alternatives. - Some medical conditions raise the risk of complications: the team assesses them before the course. - General anaesthesia: fasting and pre-anaesthesia checks follow the institutional protocol. - Usual morning medicines: give only those the team confirms. ## Equipment - Signed consent form and the pre-procedure checklist of the institution. - Equipment for IV access. - Vital-sign and oxygen-saturation monitoring for the procedure and recovery, as the protocol lists. - Airway equipment and the recovery area of the anaesthesia service, as the protocol lists. - A memory and orientation screening tool chosen by the service. ## Step by step (and why) - Teach the person and family what ECT is, how a session goes and its common effects — clear information lowers fear and supports consent. - Confirm written informed consent is signed and valid before each course — ECT is never given without it. - Check fasting as ordered and ask the team which usual medicines to give that morning — general anaesthesia requires an empty stomach. - Record baseline vital signs and orientation and memory with the service's tool — a baseline lets later changes be measured. - Remove jewellery, metal objects and dental pieces as the service instructs — this prepares for anaesthesia and the scalp electrodes. - Place the IV line as ordered and stay with the person until anaesthesia — presence reduces anxiety. - In recovery, monitor airway, breathing, circulation and vital signs until fully awake — anaesthesia and the seizure affect them. - Reorient the person calmly, keep fall precautions and help with the first walk — short-term confusion is common after waking. - Repeat orientation and memory checks and record headache, nausea or muscle pain — effects guide the team's plan for the next session. ## Complications - Short-lasting confusion after waking. - Headache, muscle soreness and nausea. - High or low blood pressure, fast heart rate or other heart effects. - Memory problems: difficulty learning new things and gaps for events around the treatment period; most improve within a couple of months, but some gaps can last. ## Next step: when to call for help - Notify the anaesthesiologist or nurse in charge at once if breathing, saturation or consciousness do not recover as expected. - Report confusion that lasts longer than usual, or chest pain, palpitations or a marked change in blood pressure. - Report memory complaints that worsen from session to session so the team can review the plan. - After the course, report early signs of relapse: the team plans maintenance treatment. ## Test yourself Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it. ## Why does a person fast before ECT? ECT is given under general anaesthesia with a muscle relaxant, which requires preparation as for minor surgery, including fasting as ordered. ## What does the nurse monitor right after an ECT session? Airway, breathing, circulation and vital signs until fully awake, orientation, and fall risk after anaesthesia. ## Which memory effects can ECT cause? Difficulty forming new memories and gaps for events around the treatment period; most improve within months, but some gaps can last. ## When may ECT be chosen because a rapid response is needed? With high suicide risk, depression with psychotic features or catatonia, as the team decides. [Add to my cards (4)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/nursing/electroconvulsive-therapy-preparation-recovery-and-memory-effects/) ## Connections ## Related 3 - [Caring for a person with depression: safety, self-care, activity and hope](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/caring-for-a-person-with-depression-safety-self-care-activity-and-hope/) - [Preoperative care: assessment, teaching, fasting, skin preparation and the checklist](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/preoperative-care-assessment-teaching-fasting-skin-preparation-and-the-checklist/) - [Immediate recovery after anaesthesia: monitoring and discharge criteria](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/immediate-recovery-after-anaesthesia-monitoring-and-discharge-criteria/) ## Related conditions 2 - [Major depressive disorder](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/major-depressive-disorder/) - [Catatonia](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/catatonia/) [← All of nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/) Educational content for students; it does not replace your institution's protocols, supervised clinical training or a prescriber's order. Dose-calculation examples use made-up numbers: they are educational, not a clinical order. Sources: [Nursing: Mental Health and Community Concepts, 7.4: Treatments for depression](https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Nursing/Nursing%3A_Mental_Health_and_Community_Concepts_(OpenRN)/07%3A_Depressive_Disorders/7.04%3A_Treatments_for_Depression) (Open RN, Wisconsin Technical College System (CC BY 4.0), LibreTexts, 2022); [Electroconvulsive therapy (Medical Encyclopedia)](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007474.htm) (MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2026); [Nursing: Mental Health and Community Concepts, 8.3: Treatments for bipolar disorders](https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Nursing/Nursing%3A_Mental_Health_and_Community_Concepts_(OpenRN)/08%3A_Bipolar_Disorders/8.03%3A_Treatments_for_Bipolar_Disorders) (Open RN, Wisconsin Technical College System (CC BY 4.0), LibreTexts, 2022). ## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/nursing/electroconvulsive-therapy-preparation-recovery-and-memory-effects/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/nursing/electroconvulsive-therapy-preparation-recovery-and-memory-effects/