Effects of cocaine intoxication on the threshold for stun gun induction of ventricular fibrillation: Lakkireddy D, Martin D, Saliba W, et al. J Am Coll Cardiol 2006;48:805–11

Abstract

This study examined the interaction between cocaine and electrical stun guns on ventricular fibrillation (VF) induction. Five adult pigs were studied, using five different paired-dart positions on the bodies. VF threshold was determined by utilizing a series of neuromuscular incapacitating (NMI) discharges of incremental increases from standard delivery, both with and without cocaine. The authors found that a standard Taser discharge could not induce VF in any dart position tested on the body. They also found that using a charge at high multiples beyond the standard NMI application could indeed induce VF, with thresholds for VF increasing with greater distance between the electrodes and the heart. The NMI discharges at which myocardial ventricular capture was noted in a ratio of 2:1 or less were correlated with inducible VF, however, not with capture ratios of 3:1 or more. Cocaine was determined to decrease the chance of NMI-induced VF, as it increased the safety margin 1.5 to 2 times from baseline. Less myocardial capture was found after cocaine infusion. The authors concluded that cocaine reduced myocardial vulnerability to NMI-induced VF.