Eval Requirements for ECT

What is the name of your state? Washington
I had ECT (shock 'therapy') Consent states 'usually' 6-12 tx, I had 26. Was told memory probs possible, but-I think that with memory problems, informed consent should be done regularly after a month w/out shock to stabilize. Was not told I would not be able to re-learn what I lost ( i am/was a nurse). Also, had to beg repeatedly for an evaluation. Finally got one, it showed no improvement but they told me I still needed it. I was really not able to think well since I was almost somnulent and was like a zombie for this whole period.
then, I told the dr I was upset with what depression had taken from me such as friends, school, etc and instead of seeing this as a normal response, he upped my treatments. I think that was malpractice in itself. There are no standards of practice for ECT. If you get a knee replaced and have PT, you have regular evaluations to determine the efficacy of tx but none was done for me except the one and I started in Dec, got my eval in Feb and it continued until Nov. One eval for shocking someone. Also having PTSD symptoms. Any comments?

[ellencee]

Louisemr
ECT has applicable standards of care; it also has clinical indicators for treatment.

Below is a site on ECT. After reading the information, if you believe you did not receive care at the acceptable level, contact a medmal attorney in your area. Most consultation appointments are free.

It may be difficult to assess actual damages in your case, but you should be able to find an attorney with experience in cases that involve loss of cognitive function from brain injuries as a result of inadequate or inappropriate medical care.

([url]www.psycom.net/depression.central.ect.html[/url])

Best wishes,
EC

[Louiser]

Thanks for the site link. I was on it for some time yesterday and was unable to find standards. I did get to MEDLINE and MedPlus but was unable to access the articles/abstracts for various reasons including membership dues and lack of affiliation with medical libraries. I did find some other helpful info which was not disclosed to me when I originally consented such as the possiblity that future memory/ability to relearn what I had lost such as my nursing training could be compromised as well as reports stating that this was not a side effect. Many documents and reports are written by those with interest in the companies that manufacture the ECT machines.
Anyway, any other links/info you can share?

[ellencee]

Louiser
As an RN, you can write to the state's physicians licensing board and request a copy of the standards and criteria for ECT administration.

One aspect of your situation is of concern to me. You are an RN; therefore, you studied and possibly observed ECT during your required Nursing courses. You should have known that ECT works by destroying brain cells, virtually at random, in hope of zapping the cells that are malfunctioning. You should have known that the brain cells storing memory could not be restored once they were destroyed and that memory loss would be a result. I don't believe being an RN and being expected to know this is a reason to deny your ability to seek to recover damages if an act of negligence occurred and caused significant damages; you were not in the role of an RN but in the role of a patient with emotional instability.

I suggest consulting with an attorney at this point and get some advice. Medmal consultations are usually free. Your state will have an applicable statute of limitations in which you must file suit or be forever prohibited from doing so. The time limit could be as short as one year, so it would be wise to gain a consultation with an attorney at your earliest convenience.

EC