Electromagnetic modelling of current flow in the heart from TASER devices and the risk of cardiac dysrhythmias

Holden, Simon; Sheridan, Robert D.; Coffey, T J; Scaramuzza, R.; Diamantopoulos, Panagiotis

doi:10.1088/0031-9155/52/24/001

Cited by 29 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…These criteria would not necessarily imply any direct associated effects of the ECDs specifically on the heart. On the basis of modeling, Holden et al 45 and Sun and Webster 46 concluded that current densities generated by an ECD would be extremely low, and that ventricular fibrillation was highly unlikely to occur as a result of any direct effect of ECD pulses on the heart. Cao et al 47 also reported that a TASER X26 ECD application to a man, who had an implanted pacemaker, presumably caused ''ventricular myocardial capture" (retrospectively determined by reviewing data storage in the pacemaker).…”

Section: Effects On the Cardiovascular Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Deaths in custody: Are some due to electronic control devices (including TASER® devices) or excited delirium?

Jauchem

2010

Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine

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a b s t r a c tDeaths have occurred after law-enforcement incidents involving applications of electronic control devices (ECDs) (including TASER Ò devices). An ''excited delirium" syndrome (reported in the literature prior to the development of ECDs currently in use), however, includes several factors that may be related to such deaths in custody. In this review, potential detrimental effects of ECDs are compared with possible changes due to excited delirium. Although extreme (i.e., long-duration or repeated) exposures to ECDs can result in significant hyperkalaemia, acidaemia, and myoglobinemia in animal models, limited applications (such as those normally used in law-enforcement situations) would appear to have only transient effects. In addition, the hyperthermia observed in patients with excited delirium does not seem to be directly exacerbated by ECD applications. ECD use is unlikely to be a common cause of ventricular fibrillation, but other events that are generally associated with excited delirium (e.g., drug use) may be related to subsequent ventricular fibrillation or asystole. Metabolic or respiratory acidosis may only be serious consequences of long-duration or repeated ECD applications. On the basis of current available information, factors other than ECDs themselves may be more important when death occurs after the use of ECDs.

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Section: Effects On the Cardiovascular Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…45,46 Cases reported in ketamine/xylazine-anesthetized animals. 48 May be associated with drug use, 38 but possibly only with existing heart abnormalities.…”

Section: Conflict Of Interestmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deaths in custody: Are some due to electronic control devices (including TASER® devices) or excited delirium?

Jauchem

2010

Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine

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“…[8][9][10][11][12] These theoretical analyses suggest that stun guns cannot deliver the amount of energy required to stimulate the heart or cause ventricular fibrillation. Most theoretical studies base their arguments on the following principles: only a small portion (4%-10%) of the current that reaches the chest will affect the heart 13 and the time constant of the cardiac cell membrane is much longer than the pulse duration generated by stun guns.…”

Section: Evidence That Stun Guns Cannot Stimulate the Heartmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cardiac stimulation with high voltage discharge from stun guns

Nanthakumar¹,

Massé²,

Umapathy³

et al. 2008

Canadian Medical Association Journal

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S tun guns are used to physically incapacitate a person by discharging controlled electrical energy into the body, thereby preventing effective muscular activity. Although the intention is to provide a safe means of subduing an uncooperative person, some studies have suggested that stun guns can stimulate cardiac muscle in addition to skeletal muscle, thus potentially promoting lethal cardiac arrhythmias. In this article, we review the scientific data about the direct effects of stun gun discharges on the heart during shock delivery. We discuss these issues in terms of electrostimulation and correlate them with theoretical and experimental data in the literature. We discuss the principles of cardiac stimulation from internal and external stimulation and examine the evidence for and against cardiac stimulation by stun gun discharges. Stun gun dischargesAn older method of stun guns application, called "drivestun," functioned like a cattle prod, which required direct contact between the electrodes of the source and the target. Stun guns are manufactured by different manufacturers (e.g., Aegis Industries, Stinger Systems, Taser International) and they operate under the general principle of high-voltage discharge with short pulse durations. However, their operation and shock charecteristics vary by manufacturer. For example, a recent model (X26, TASER International) feature 2 barbs attached to long copper wires that are rapidly propelled by compressed nitrogen and adhere to the target's skin or clothes. This stun gun generates an initial 3 microsecond electric pulse, which produces an electrical arc that creates a low-impedance pathway for electricity to reach the body with or without skin contact.1 The initial pulse is followed by longer pulses (100 microseconds) that deliver electrical energy to the target's body, which stimulates his or her nerves and skeletal muscles and results in incapacitation. This pattern is repeated at a frequency of 19 pulses per second. Incapacitation lasts for the duration of the discharge, which is typically 5 seconds but can be 15 seconds or longer if pressure on the trigger is maintained. The TASER X26 battery has the capacity to deliver up to 195 discharges of 5 seconds each, 1 which corresponds to a duration of over 15 minutes. Other devices that have been studied include the M26 (TASER International) and the MK63 Trident (Aegis Industries), which is a stun baton. Each of these devices uses high frequency electrical pulses to incapacitate the target. Method of stunningStunning can be attributed to 1 of 2 methods, which depend on the mode of application. In the "drive stun" method, the overwhelming factor is the creation of pain and hence compliance. The second method, in which electrodes are fired toward the target as projectiles, neuromuscular stimulation occurs over a larger area. In addition to pain, the device incapacitates the target by stimulating his or her motor nerves and muscles as well as sensory neurons. The duration and frequency of the pulses have been optimized to inc...

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“…Human-head models are usually used for the characterisation of mobile terminal antennas when placed near to the head in talking position [5,16]. Whole-body voxel models with a spatial resolution as high as 1 mm 3 have been developed to represent humans of different physique and classify more than 30 different types of human body tissues [10,17]. CST Microwave Studio R has collaborated with Visible Human Project R and enables the import of Voxel Man which is based on a layered model obtained using a dissected male corpse [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical Modelling of Human Body for Bluetooth Body-Worn Applications

Ur-Rehman¹,

Abbasi²,

Chen³

et al. 2013

PIER

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Abstract-The human body has got a pivotal role in portable devices operating in Body-centric Wireless Networks (BCWNs). Electromagnetic interaction between lossy human body tissues and wearable antennas degrades the system performance.Efficient deployment of such systems necessitates thorough understanding of these effects. Numerical analysis is a powerful tool that provides useful information of such scenarios fairly quicker than the actual measurements giving the user full control of the design environment. This paper investigates usefulness of numerical analysis based on the comparison of three different homogeneous models of the human body. Effectiveness of a numerical model is evaluated in terms of its resolution, computational efficiency, time consumption and accuracy of the results in software followed by experimental verifications.

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Electromagnetic modelling of current flow in the heart from TASER devices and the risk of cardiac dysrhythmias

Cited by 29 publications

References 18 publications

Deaths in custody: Are some due to electronic control devices (including TASER® devices) or excited delirium?

Deaths in custody: Are some due to electronic control devices (including TASER® devices) or excited delirium?

Cardiac stimulation with high voltage discharge from stun guns

Numerical Modelling of Human Body for Bluetooth Body-Worn Applications

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