Citation

Wu JY, Sun H, O'Rourke AP, Huebner SM, Rahko PS, Will JA, Webster JG. IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. 2008; 55(12): 2768-2771.

Affiliation

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers)

DOI

10.1109/TBME.2008.2002154

PMID

19126456

Abstract

The maximum distance between the heart and a model Taser stimulation dart, called the dart-to-heart distance, at which the Taser can directly cause ventricular fibrillation (VF), was measured in pigs. A 9-mm-long blunt probe was advanced snugly through the surrounding tissues toward the heart. Five animals [pig mass=61.2+/-6.23 standard deviation (SD) kg] for ten dart-to-heart distances where the Taser caused VF were tested. The dart-to-heart distances where the Taser caused VF of the first stimulation site ranged from 4 to 8 mm with average 6.2 mm+/-1.79 (SD) and of the second stimulation site ranged from 2 to 8 mm with average 5.4 mm+/-2.41 (SD). The results help inform the evolving discussion of risks associated with Tasers.

Language: en