Electrical measurements were made during treatment of two groups of patients, one group receiving treatment from a constant current ECT machine and the other from a constant voltage machine. The electrical impedance and energy were calculated and compared for the two groups. More energy was delivered by the constant voltage than by the constant current machine, but the spread of energy delivered was comparable. With a consistent technique for applying the electrodes there is little to choose between these machines, but the constant current machine may be preferred where consistency cannot be achieved.

CORRESPONDENCEpotential difference between the bifrontal recording electrodes resulting in a nearly flat line (isoelectric) tracing. In contrast, the MECTA instrument will show the greatest activity in tracings of asymmetrical aborted seizures (demonstrated as such by standard

A cause of electrosurgical burns in surgical procedures is faulty active leads. A survey of faults and modes of failures are reported. The design of a meter is given for use by a sterilizing department to enable leads to be checked. Using the criterion of two times the original resistance, 35 cables were found to be defective out of a population of about 200 cables. About half of these cables transmitted radio frequency (RF) power inefficiently: often power was intermittent and hot spots would develop. The commonest mode of failure was a break between the socket and the wire at the forceps end. Rejection criteria are reviewed and we suggest a resistance less than 0.3 omega.

The provision of intensive-care facilities for patients in transit can present problems. We describe our novel approach to these in which we have added facilities to a standard bed which is used for the transfer of patients. This may also be a cost-effective method of providing intensive-care equipment to beds at any location.

Commercially available transport incubators are sophisticated and expensive since they are designed to provide life support for premature or critically ill neonates. In maternity hospitals with inadequate heating systems, some healthy infants have difficulty maintaining their body temperature in wards and during transfer within the hospital. These babies do not require the sophistication of commercial incubators. We describe a simple insulated cot which meets these requirements at minimal cost.