EBME Forums Forums Management Medical Equipment Management Electro convulsive therapy machines

We have ECT machines that do not belong to the Acute Trust, but we maintain them. I tend to think of these machines as needing to be on (an expensive) contract, because our tech don't want to go into the secure MH unit (Neither do i), and i think they don't want to be responsible for something that effectively defibs the brain. What do you do with you ECT's - contract or in-house?

Ah your techs are having a Alice in Wonderland moment!

`But I don't want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked.
`Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: `we're all mad here.'

Remember there's only one important thing to worry about when servicing equipment in a secure MH unit. It's that they won't let you out when your finished!

..........if they wrongfully mistaken you as one of them.

I always find it rather difficult to distinguish the staff from the inmates.....

One thing also to remember is that even on a acute MH unit equipment is often in a secure location. A crash cart to a drugie is probably what a candy shop would be to a kid and if patients use to try and get out and commit suicide on the A370 when Barrow Guerney mental hospital was open, I'm sure trying the defib would be an easier option.

As for ECT machines they don't seem to be treated as specialist equipment here, just standard They come up on PPM in house and if they were specialist we'd have staff clammering to maintain them with the points means prizes AFC system.

It's quite easy to service an ECT machine, remember that the ECT does NOT "defib" the brain but aims to apply only sufficient electrical charge in order to induce a temporary epiletic convulsion in a patient.

Basically all you need to do is to check that the constant current output pulse is rectangular and no wider than 1ms ( NEVER any other shape like sine wave which is prohibited for ECT stimulus in Britain since 1982 ) and that changing the energy level only changes the number of pulses applied.

Do check that the paddles are not intermittently conducting and the EEG amplifier and graph ( if fitted ) are working correctly and the usual IEC60601 Electrical Safety test.

Nothing to it really

As far as I'm concerned, whatever I think about a particular medical procedure, the equipment for that procedure must meet it's specifications fully like all other medical gear - one day someone I know may need that procedure!

Spot on Jonathan. John, if your blokes don't want to go into the secure unit, why not just get the staff to bring the kit out? A service contract just for ECT units sounds a bit OTT to me!

Yes Geoff, I think you are right. A simple solution - always the best.