Generalized tonic-clonic seizure after a taser shot to the head

Abstract

T he taser stun gun, manufactured by Taser International in Scottsdale, Arizona, is a weapon used increasingly among law enforcement personnel to temporarily incapacitate detainees. Questions have arisen in both the scientific literature and the lay press about the device's safety. [1][2][3] In this article, we report the occurrence of a generalized tonic-clonic seizure in a person who received a taser shot to the head. Case reportThe patient was a previously well police officer in his 30s who took part in a police chase involving a suspected robber. He and a colleague cornered the suspect, who initially appeared to surrender but then attempted an escape. The officer had begun to chase the suspect on foot when he experienced a sudden, severe pain in the back of his head. He later described the moment as feeling like he had been "hit by a bat." He recalled letting out a brief gasp before losing consciousness. He had no recollection of falling to the ground on top of the suspect. Police records indicate that the officer's colleague had fired a taser shot meant for the suspect but that the 2 copper darts had instead struck the officer in the occiput and upper back. The officer had been wearing an armoured vest. Immediately after being shot, he was found by his colleague to be unresponsive and foaming at the mouth. His eyes were rolled upward and he had generalized tonic-clonic movements with apnea lasting for about 1 minute. He did not have urinary incontinence. Postictally, he was initially confused and combative. Emergency medical services personnel were able to restrain him. They recorded a Glasgow Coma Score of 9 within 5 minutes after arrival; 5 minutes later, his score was 13.The patient's next memory was of being in the emergency department. During this period, he felt as if he were in "a bad dream." As he gradually regained orientation over the next few hours, he became aware of thoracic tightness that was aggravated by deep breaths, and a severe headache. He was monitored overnight, then discharged in stable condition.The patient had no history of febrile or unprovoked seizures, head injuries, headaches, meningitis or encephalitis. He had no family history of seizures or of other neurologic or psychiatric conditions. His developmental history was normal. He was not taking any medications.The results of a general physical and neurologic examination were normal. Results of routine blood tests were unremarkable except for an elevated leukocyte count of 12.9 (normal 3.6-11.0) × 10 9 /L 30 minutes after the event (decreasing to 11.2 × 10 9 /L 5 hours later) and an elevated serum creatine kinase level of 580 (normal < 232) U/L.The patient returned to full-time work 5 days after the incident. He experienced persistent headaches, dizziness, back pain and chest tightness. Magnetic resonance imaging scans of the head (1.5 and 3 Tesla) as well as routine and 24-hour ambulatory electroencephalography were performed 1, 2 and 12 months after the seizure. All findings were normal.A diagnosis of mild traumatic brain injur...

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