Rocuronium-sugammadex as an alternative muscle relaxant to succinylcholine in electroconvulsive therapy: A meta-analysis

Table 1 Study selection criteria using the population, intervention, comparison, outcomes and study approach

Category	Inclusion criteria	Exclusion criteria
Population	Adults (≥ 18 years) undergoing ECT for psychiatric disorders	Pediatric populations
Intervention	Rocuronium (any dose) with sugammadex reversal	Other NMBA agents (e.g., atracurium and vecuronium) or reversal without sugammadex
Comparator	Succinylcholine (any dose)	Studies without a direct succinylcholine comparison group
Outcomes	Motor/EEG seizure duration, recovery time, adverse events	Studies not reporting relevant outcomes or with insufficient data for extraction
Study design	RCTs and observational studies (cohort, case-control study and case series) with comparator arms	Case reports, reviews, editorials, conference abstracts without full data and animal studies
Language	No restriction

ECT: Electroconvulsive therapy; EEG: Electroencephalography; RCT: Randomized controlled trial; NMBA: Neuromuscular blocking agent.