Citation

Gibbons JA, Mojica AJ, Peele ME. J. Forensic Sci. 2017; 62(6): 1516-1521.

Affiliation

USARMY MEDCOM Brooke Army Medical Center, 3551 Roger Brooke Drive, Fort Sam Houston, TX, 78234.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.13490

PMID

28419455

Abstract

Human Electrical Muscular Incapacitation (HEMI) is used to subdue combative individuals. Changes in cardiac electrical activity have been proposed as the cause of death in a small fraction of these individuals. The current study sought to determine whether changes in QTc interval occur after HEMI exposure. Twenty-four participants had EKG readings before a 5-second HEMI exposure and within 30 min after exposure. All subject EKGs were read by a data-blinded cardiac electrophysiologist who calculated a QT corrected (QTc) interval. QTc interval was calculated using Bazett method. QTc prolongation was defined as >430 ms and a threshold of 30 ms for identifying QTc lengthening. Five participants experienced QTc prolongation and six had QTc lengthening. One participant developed QTc prolongation exceeding 500 ms, which carries a risk of developing multifocal ventricular tachycardia. These results suggest that HEMI exposure may cause EKG changes with a risk of ventricular tachycardia.

© 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Language: en

Keywords

Bazett method; QT interval; QTc interval; electrocardiogram; electromuscular incapacitation; forensic science; human electromuscular incapacitation; ventricular tachycardia