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Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to describe a Portuguese nationwide epidemiological perspective on the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in hospitalized psychiatric patients. The secondary aims of the study were to characterize clinical and sociodemographic trends of hospitalized patients treated with ECT., Methods: A retrospective-observational study was conducted using an administrative database gathering every registered Portuguese public hospital hospitalizations from 2008 to 2015. We selected all hospitalizations with a procedure code 94.27 (Other electroshock therapy) defined by the International Classification of Diseases version 9, Clinical Modification. Variables included birth date, sex, address, primary and secondary diagnoses, admission/discharge date, length of stay, and discharge status from each single hospitalization episode. We also calculated Portugal's inpatient ECT prevalence rate (iP%)., Results: There were a total of 879 registered hospitalizations with ECT within the 8-year period of this study. Most occurred in female patients (53.4%), belonging to the age group of 51 to 70 years old, with a mean age of 50.5 years. The median length of stay was 43.0 days with an interquartile range of 27.0 to 68.0. The most frequent primary diagnosis was major depressive disorder, recurrent episode, representing 19.6% of all hospitalizations. The iP% for the study period was 0.71%., Conclusions: In Portugal, most of the patients who received ECT were women above middle age, and depressive disorders were the most common indication. Portugal's iP% represents a low rate when compared with other European countries, which might indicate an underutilization of ECT in Portuguese psychiatric hospitals., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest or financial disclosures to report., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a technique with proven efficacy in the treatment of severe psychiatric disorders. However, studies regarding its use as a maintenance therapy are scarce. The aim of the present study was to build knowledge in this area., Methods: Data from 28 patients receiving maintenance ECT (M-ECT) were retrospectively collected and analyzed using a mirror-image design. Length of stay and readmissions were compared before M-ECT (control condition) and after M-ECT (experimental condition)., Results: Our results showed a decrease in both length of stay and number of readmissions after M-ECT, although the decrease in readmissions was moderated by a site effect., Conclusions: The present study results reveal the potential benefit of M-ECT. Further studies are urgently needed to establish its usefulness as an alternative treatment for severe psychiatric disorders.