TASER® Blog

We have with us today a very special guest blogger. Andrew Hinz, Director of Technical Programs for TASER International and liasion to the medical community, is here to walk us through a few of the most recent studies conducted involving TASER devices.

Today, TASER brand electronic control devices (ECDs) are used by more than 14,000 law enforcement agencies in more than 45 countries worldwide. During the past decade, more than 1.5 million people have been hit with a TASER brand ECD, including an estimated 760,000 people in actual arrest proceedings by law enforcement. While a completely accurate number is hard to come by, it further is estimated that more than 50,000 people have avoided injury or had their lives saved because a TASER brand ECD was available and used by law enforcement.  

Despite the broad acceptance and amazing success of the TASER ECDs in reducing injuries and violence, there are still a number of critics and skeptics who are willing to ignore the data, ignore the scientific studies and ignore anecdotal evidence while calling for a moratorium on the use of TASER devices by law enforcement. Most commonly, these naysayers inaccurately site a “lack of independent” scientific and medical studies into the safety of TASER technology and TASER ECDs.

I have to believe that those making such a claim are just uninformed. Arguably, TASER brand ECDs and TASER technology is the most studied law enforcement tool ever. To date, and to the best of our knowledge, there have been more than 275 scientific, medical or governmental studies on ECDs. This includes a growing body of more than 120 scientific and medical studies involving human subjects. In all, approximately 70 percent of these studies are “independent” — having been performed without funding from TASER International.  

Some of the most recent studies to be presented at major medical conferences such as CardioRythm 2009 and in leading medical journals such as the American Journal of Emergency Medicine and the Annals of Emergency Medicine include groundbreaking work on the effects of prolonged or multiple exposures to a TASER device. The following is a sample of recent studies:

Can Prolonged TASER X26 Exposure or Continued Exertion Contribute to Sudden Cardiac Death Through Worsening Acidosis?

Ho, J.D., et al CardioRhythm, Hong Kong: Dept. of Emergency Medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN Dept. of Emergency Medicine, Lompoc Valley Medical Center, Lompoc, CA.

Conclusion: Acidosis is worse from continued exertion when compared to an ECD application. This does not support an association between TASER device applications and sudden death due to worsening acidosis. It does support a worsening acidosis from continued exertion.

Multiple Simultaneous Exposures of the TASER X26 in Human Volunteers

Ho, J.D., D.M. Dawes, and J.R. Miner 2009, CardioRhythm, Hong Kong: Dept. of Emergency Medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN Dept. of Emergency Medicine, Lompoc Valley Medical Center, Lompoc, CA.

Conclusions: Five second multiple (2-3), simultaneous exposures to an ECD device do not appear to have significant deleterious effects on the heart.

Presenting Rhythm in Sudden Deaths Temporally Proximate to Discharge of TASER Conducted Electrical Weapons (CEW)

Swerdlow C, Fishbein M, Chaman L, Lakkireddy D, Tchou P. Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. May 2009;16:1‐13.

Conclusions: In sudden deaths proximate to CEW discharge, immediate collapse is unusual, and ventricular fibrillation (VF) is an uncommon VF presenting rhythm. Within study limitations, including selection bias and the possibility that VF terminated before the presenting rhythm was recorded, these data do not support electrically induced VF as a common mechanism of these sudden deaths.

Prolonged TASER Use on Exhausted Humans Does Not Worsen Markers of Acidosis

Ho J, Dawes D, Bultman L, Moscati R, Janchar T, Miner J. American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2009;27(4):413‐418.

Conclusion: Prolonged CEW application on exhausted humans was not associated with worsening change in pH or troponin. Decreases in pCO2 and potassium and a small increase in lactate were found. Worsening acidosis theories due to CEW use in this population are not supported by these data.

Safety and Injury Profile of Conducted Electrical Weapons Used by Law Enforcement Officers Against Criminal Suspects

William P. Bozeman, MD Annals of Emergency Medicine Jan 2009

Conclusion: To our knowledge, these findings represent the first large, independent, multicenter study of conducted electrical weapon injury epidemiology and suggest that more than 99 percent of subjects do not experience significant injuries after conducted electrical weapon use.

The Neuroendocrine Effects of the TASER X26®: A Brief Report 

Forensic Science International , Volume 183 , Issue 1 – 3 , Pages 14 – 19 D . Dawes , J . Ho , J . Miner

Conclusions: Our preliminary data suggests that physical exertion during custodial arrest may be the most activating of the human stress response, particularly the sympathetic–adrenal–medulla axis. This may suggest that techniques to limit the duration of this exertion may be the safest means to apprehend subjects, particularly those at high-risk for in-custody death. Conducted electrical weapons were not more activating of the human stress response than other uses of force.

A complete index of all known medical, scientific and governmental studies is available on the TASER International web site here.

I understand that there will probably always be some debate over the need and proper use of TASER electronic control devices. I believe such a debate to be healthy and valuable, but only if there is an acknowledgement of the vast body of scientific data and evidence that has been produced regarding the TASER technology.