Electro-convulsive therapy with minimum hazard.

The inter-electrode resistance during ECT is shown to be very variable, a finding which invalidates the measurement of shocks in joules. With square wave pulses of selected current value the threshold for convulsion may be below 100 milliamperes or above 2,000 milliamperes. It is advisable to measure the current value during millisecond pulses with relatively long intervals between.