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

Bozeman, William P.; Hauda, William E.; Heck, Joseph J.; Graham, Derrel D.; Martin, Brian P.; Winslow, James E.

doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2008.11.021

Cited by 181 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…These particular patients confounding factors included cocaine intoxication and a lengthy foot pursuit [12]. Dawes et al, enrolled 156 healthy males and exposed them to 5-s, 10-s, and 30-s shocks and observed a positive relationship between the number of points of contact and elevation in serum CK at 24 hours but no relationship between the duration of exposure and change in CK.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While no direct link has been established between clinically significant rhabdomyolysis and TASER ® device application [7][8][9] muscle damage and subclinical elevations serum CK levels [7,10,11] are well documented. The relationship between exposure and development of rhabdomyolysis has been debated because individuals exposed to TASER ® shocks had concurrent conditions predisposing them to muscle damage [5,12]. Ho et al, enrolled 66 participants who received shocks from the TASER ® X26 for 4 seconds.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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TASER ® Electronic Control Device- Induced Rhabdomyolysis and Renal Failure: A Case Report

Gleason

Ahmad

2015

JCDR

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Local law enforcement officers were called to an auto parts store when a 31-year-old African American male with a history of schizophrenia and hypertension complicated by medical noncompliance was frightening customers. He was reportedly "acting strange" and seemed to be "responding to internal stimuli". When law enforcement arrived to the scene the man was taken into custody and transported without difficulty to our emergency department.On arrival to the emergency department he was moving all extremities and speaking nonsensically. He was uncooperative toward staff for further evaluation including intravenous (IV) catheter placement or vital sign measurements. His agitation worsened and he became physically combative. He was given 10 mg of haloperidol and 2mg of lorazepam intramuscularly to quell his violent state but these measures were ultimately ineffective. Multiple police officers and hospital staff members tried to restrain the patient but were unsuccessful. Because he continued to exhibit violent behaviour and was unable to be physically subdued by police he received three five-second TASER ® shocks from an X26 device. After being tasered and placed in restraints the patients vital signs were obtained. He had a temperature of 36.8 0 C (98.2 0 F), blood pressure 154/109 mm Hg, heart rate 106 beats per minute, respiratory rate 26 breaths per minute. His oxygen saturation was 96% on room air. On physical exam he appeared to be a well-developed adult male in four point restraints. His pupils were equal and reactive bilaterally. He was tachycardic but did not exhibit murmurs, gallops or rubs. Lungs were clear to auscultation bilaterally. Abdomen was soft and non-distended without appreciable organomegaly. His skin was warm and dry. He exhibited no focal physical neurologic deficits but was oriented only to his own name. Two TASER ® probes were removed from between his shoulder blades by nursing staff.Laboratory data, was obtained five hours after arrival and was remarkable for a negative serum ethanol level, a negative urine drug screen, white blood cell count was 13600, haemoglobin 13.5 g/dl and haematocrit 39.6%, lactic acid was 3.6 mmol/L. A venous blood gas showed pH 7.36, PCO 2 43 mm Hg, PO 2 39 mm Hg and venous oxygen saturation 72%. Urinalysis revealed cloudy yellow urine with specific gravity of 1.018, protein 30 mg/dL and microscopy showed 1-3 wbc, 8-10 rbc per hpf. An initial metabolic panel and creatine kinase (CK) were obtained [

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

TASER ® Electronic Control Device- Induced Rhabdomyolysis and Renal Failure: A Case Report

Gleason

Ahmad

2015

JCDR

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“…taser.com]. Reports collected by the largest manufacturer of these devices in the USA suggest that they have a high level of safety [7], and reports in the medical literature also indicate that the number of deaths associated with CED use is relatively small [1,8]. However, investigative journalists and nongovernmental organizations, such as Amnesty International, continue to report a number of deaths associated with CED use [9][10][11].…”

Section: Patterns Of Usementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Medical examiners frequently conclude that subjects who have died after altercations with the police which required the use of CED died from natural causes, drug toxicity and/or excited delirium [1,8]. In Bozeman et al's 2009 study in the USA two subjects died following CED use.…”

Section: Population Studies and Ced-associated Mortalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Bozeman et al's 2009 study in the USA two subjects died following CED use. One subject had participated in a prolonged physical struggle with the police and was found to have "dilated cardiomyopathy and cocaine was present in the serum" [8]. The medical examiner did not provide a final cause of death but concluded that the CED was "not causal or contributory to death".…”

Section: Population Studies and Ced-associated Mortalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Use and safety of conducted electronic devices: what is known?

Nugent¹,

Çevik²

2013

East Mediterr Health J

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Conductive electronic devices (CED), such as Taser ® and stun guns, are sold worldwide for use by security services, although they have also been used for self-defence and even for torture. CED are promoted as non-lethal weapons which can potentially save lives. However, there are multiple reports of deaths temporally associated with CED use. These weapons have definite physiological effects in normal volunteers, especially when accompanied by exertion. Medical examiners often report that deaths followed physical encounters which included the use of CED were due to natural causes, excited delirium and/or drug intoxication. These cases present complex situations in which multiple factors potentially contribute to the death, including electric shocks which cause neuromuscular incapacitation, severe pain and anxiety. Public health officials, physicians and hospital personnel need to be aware that individuals controlled with CED are at increased risk of death. We need better recording of incidents worldwide to understand the extent and outcomes of CED use. Utilisation et sécurité des dispositifs à impulsions électriques : quel est l'état des connaissances ?RÉSUMÉ Les dispositifs à impulsions électriques comme le Taser® et les pistolets à impulsions électriques sont vendus dans le monde entier pour être utilisés par des services de sécurité, mais sont aussi utilisés pour l'auto-défense et même la torture. Ils sont présentés comme des armes non mortelles qui peuvent sauver des vies. Toutefois, de nombreux décès coïncidant avec l'utilisation de ces dispositifs ont été signalés. Ces armes ont des effets physiologiques certains chez des volontaires normaux, en particulier lorsqu'ils sont associés à un effort. Les médecins légistes ont souvent rapporté que les décès suivant des contacts physiques qui comprenaient l'utilisation de dispositifs à impulsions électriques étaient imputables à des causes naturelles, un délire aigu et/ou une intoxication liée à l'utilisation de médicaments et/ou de drogues. Ces cas sont des situations complexes dans lesquelles des facteurs multiples contribuent potentiellement au décès, tels que les chocs électriques à l'origine d'une paralysie neuromusculaire, d'une douleur sévère et d'anxiété. Les responsables de la santé publique, les médecins et le personnel hospitalier doivent être sensibilisés au fait que les personnes neutralisées par des dispositifs à impulsions électriques courent un risque accru de décès. Nous devons améliorer l'enregistrement des incidents dans le monde pour comprendre la portée et les conséquences de l'utilisation des dispositifs à impulsions électriques.

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Human Health Risks of Conducted Electrical Weapon Exposure

et al. 2021

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IMPORTANCE Conducted electrical weapons (CEWs) are used broadly as a less-lethal force option for police officers. However, there is no clear picture of the possible health risks in humans on the basis of rigorously assessed scientific evidence from the international peer-reviewed literature. OBJECTIVE To synthesize and systematically evaluate the strength of published evidence for an association between exposure to different models of CEWs and adverse acute as well as chronic conditions. EVIDENCE REVIEW Following a preregistered review protocol, the literature search strategy was based on a search of reviews published between January 1, 2000, and April 24, 2020, of PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library, as well as relevant online databases and bibliographic sources, such as reference sections of recent publications. The identified studies were independently assessed in terms of scope, relevance, methodologic bias, and quality. Peer-reviewed publications of human studies were included, using original data and with a focus on the use of taser CEWs in the context of law enforcement. Eligible studies examined clearly defined health outcomes as dependent variables following exposure to a CEW. The review followed the relevant sections of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses reporting guideline. A meta-analysis could not be conducted. FINDINGS Of the 1081 unique records screened, 33 relevant studies were identified, all of them of experimental design and conducted in the US. Eleven studies had a low risk of bias and 22 had a higher bias risk. Studies focused on outcomes such as physiologic stress responses, heart rate, blood pressure, arrhythmias, or cognitive performance. Independently of bias risk, the studies reported few or no acute health problems, apart from the wounds caused by the darts. Furthermore, no longterm outcomes were studied. Most of the studies were performed on healthy, physically fit individuals (eg, police officers) in a controlled setting, with short exposure duration (5 seconds). Half of the studies, mainly those with a higher risk of bias, were at least partly funded by the manufacturer. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Based on the findings of the reviewed studies, the risk for adverse health outcomes due to CEW exposure can be currently estimated as low. However, most of the reviewed studies had methodologic limitations. Considering that recruited participants were not representative of the population that usually encounters a CEW deployment, it is not possible to draw conclusions regarding exposure outcomes in potentially vulnerable populations or high-risk groups, such as those under the influence of substances.

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

Cited by 181 publications

References 35 publications

TASER ® Electronic Control Device- Induced Rhabdomyolysis and Renal Failure: A Case Report

TASER ® Electronic Control Device- Induced Rhabdomyolysis and Renal Failure: A Case Report

Use and safety of conducted electronic devices: what is known?

Human Health Risks of Conducted Electrical Weapon Exposure

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