Can Tasers® directly cause ventricular fibrillation?

Abstract

Tasers are battery powered electrical devices used by law enforcement personnel to temporarily incapacitate suspects. This study is part of a larger study to determine the probability of a Taser (X26 and M26) causing ventricular fibrillation (VF) in humans. We determined the distance between a Taser dart and the ventricle (dart-to-heart distance) necessary to trigger VF in an in-vivo porcine model, using 6 anesthetized pigs. All experiments were approved by the appropriate IUCUC and adhere to all applicable laws and standards of the NIH and USDA as well as the policies of the APS. To more accurately represent the dart-to-heart distances found in a human, we reflected the skin, subcutaneous fat and muscle over the sternum and placed a thoracic dart into the third intercostal space over the right ventricle. Current flowed to a second dart 54 cm away on the abdomen. We determined that the distance between the darts makes no significant difference in the current. We confirmed dart location post mortem. In 6 pigs, VF was triggered at a mean dart-to-heart distance of 15 mm (0 – 20). We will combine these data with echocardiographic human anatomic data, police-provided dart landing distribution data, and a finite element method (FEM) model of current density in the human torso to yield a probability of a Taser causing VF in a human. This project was supported by Grant No. 2004-IJ-CX-K036 awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice. Points of view in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the US Department of Justice.