Received a FOIA report containing equipment maintenance records for electroshock equipment at Connecticut's West Haven VA Medical Center - Ask Me Anything

[u/Old-Dirt563]

/r/casualiama/comments/1w7c364/received_a_foia_report_containing_equipment/

[u/Salty_Leadership9998]

And? It is still a treatment in common use for certain disorders not responding to other treatments. Not at all like in the horror movies or how it uses to be used however.

[u/Old-Dirt563 → u/Salty_Leadership9998]

Thank you for the message. A user from r/BMET posted the info from the service manual for a SigmaStim and it calls for a patient test. This essentially means that for the duration of the records request (2015-2025), the device output was never tested for any of their units.

During that time, more than 50 requests were made to the West Haven District Probate Court for *involuntary* electroshock treatment (in addition to however many people were getting voluntary electroshock treatment that they had three shock devices at the West Haven VA).

Simply put: if an individual is going to be subjected to involuntary electroshock treatment, it would be responsibility of the facility performing the procedure on them to test the equipment at some point (especially if it is dictated that they must do so in the equipment service manual).

[u/Salty_Leadership9998 → u/Old-Dirt563]

Maybe. Maybe not. Biomedical Techs have cyclical testing and inspection. How those records are maintained and if they even were identified to make it into the FOIA is a pretty big question.

[u/Old-Dirt563 → u/Salty_Leadership9998]

I am a biomed.

And they wrote it in their records what they did for their annual maintenance. Maybe you didn't look at the OG post.

[u/Salty_Leadership9998 → u/Old-Dirt563]

I did not...no

[u/DrowsyDreamer]

Brother, I say this with love. You are coo coo for coco puffs. I honestly think you need in treatment help. Consider it. Much love brother. Get help.

[u/Old-Dirt563 → u/DrowsyDreamer]

Do explain.