Reliability of a Standardized Brief-Pulse Stimulus in ECT
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-1985
Description
The reliability of a standardized brief-pulse stimulus in eliciting a satisfactory convulsive response was evaluated under normal clinical conditions. A total of 89 patients were given 961 initial treatments. Of these, 757 were at the standardized level with a success rate of 89%. A total of 204 trials were given at higher-than-standardized levels. Treating these as standardized level failures, the overall success rate was 70%. The probability that a standardized stimulus given to any patient at any point in the treatment series would be successful was about 7 chances in 10. Implications for the selection of ECT stimuli were discussed.
Citation Information
Weaver, Lelon; Ives, John; and Williams, Ronald. 1985. Reliability of a Standardized Brief-Pulse Stimulus in ECT. Biological Psychiatry. Vol.20(1). 79-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-3223(85)90138-6 PMID: 3965039 ISSN: 0006-3223