Lord McNair asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the recorded statistics for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) related deaths in this country as a proportion of total annual administrations of ECT.Baroness Cumberlege: There has been one death registered with a mention of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on the death certificate since the beginning of 1993, certified by a coroner. Reliable information on the number of administrations of ECT treatment is not available centrally.
Lord McNair asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there are procedures to ensure that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is cited as a cause or contributing factor in the death of a patient, if that patient dies of a heart attack following the administration of ECT, or dies of other causes which could be linked to ECT, and if not, whether they have plans to implement such procedures; andBaroness Cumberlege: There is no procedure specific to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for ensuring that it is cited as a cause or contributing factor in the death of a patient within two years of receiving this treatment. We have no plans to implement such a procedure.Whether there are procedures to record the administration of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in death records if a patient dies within two years of receiving this treatment, if so how many reports have been made since such recording began, and if not, whether they have plans to implement such procedures.
Last updated 15 May 1997
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