CONCEPTS, COMPONENTS & CONFIGURATIONS 2tectrical injury, Taser injury, Taser, Taser® Weapon, injury The Taser® Weapon: A New Emergency Medicine Problem ‘The Taser® is an electrical law enforcement and selfdefense weapoti that is being used with increasing frequency. The weapon is described and its ef fects and ballistic and electrical cansiderations are reviewed. Clinical ae. ects of Taser injury, including weapon-fired barb injury, barb removal Iethods, injury secondary to electrical current, ventricular fbvilation, por. sible interactions with implanted pacemakers, and injuries tecondary to INTRODUCTION ‘The Taser® (shore for Thomas A Swiit’s Electric Rifle) is an electronic im- ‘mobilization and defense weapon that has been available commercially since 1974, Only zecently has it been used widely in the Los Angeles area, Accord ing to the manufacturer (Taser Industries, Inc, Monrovia, California) the To mole Ta a mah nd in tn, On is vite aly @ law eoforcomene other is avalable to the genta Public after appropiate loca arm vention seen tee eer cacy eee el ders tom the public model onlin that is 2 ‘When a eggs bacon the Tasers Scores, charge is ex- csi fom ge We aris are imbedded tage electrical pulse train of eight ‘0 13 pues per second is wansmsted tothe victim throug the woes Ele M Koscow, MO Los Angetes, Calfomio From the Department of Emergency Mecicine, Loe Angeles County Universi of Southam Caifomla Medical Center. Los Angeles, Calfomia, Fecsived ‘or publication Februery 20, 3285 Avene er putheaion Nay 16, ‘Address for rectinis: Eric Koscove, MD, Deparment of Nedicine, LAC. USC Medical Contr. 1200 Nort State Steet, Los Angolee, Cafornia 90038,Fig. The Taser® weapon: Fig. 2 Thé Taser® baxb. that of the battery hfe {108 seconds ji. cenrsene models}: Most Taser® victims fall to the ground and experience thythraie muscwlar contractions ‘while the eurent is delivered. The ex- fact mechani of the fall and the con ‘tractions remains unclear They axe Believed to result from tonic and clonic muscular contraction, 2 pe- fipberal neuromuscular phenomenon, {ther than from ccutzal nezvous sy ‘Most Taser® paticats hae becn per sone under the influence of PCE mak- {ng reliable subjective impressions dié- ficale to elicit. In a recent ficld tial, several prison. guards voluntecred to- ‘be Tasered All remained awake; moot {ele “seuoned? daring the entire event and al fell to the ground immediately {personal commumication, Sergeant Anthony Lamargue, October 1984). A {ew reported a tingling sensation in an ‘rea approximately 4 cm in diameter Under the dart that lasted two to Uaree minutes after being Tasesed. Most 1e ported that the experience was un latent and declined to be reTasered MECHANISM OF EFFECT ‘An itaportant concept in electrical ‘nfuries is that of the “letgo” current, defined) as the maximum current & petson can tolerate as evidenced by Yolitional use of muscles directly ‘Samulated by thae cuent. A pesson receiving a shock with a current ex: ‘ceeding the “let-go” corrent threshold cannot release a handheld conductor fransmicting the current.1? It has been conjectured that the Taser? de [vers a current that exceeds the let current threshold, resulting in the Tas- fred patient being unable to free him Self from the device as long as the cur. rent is delivered. Let-go current thresholds, desived from experiments ‘ort206 ‘with single-frequency currento at 60 He fhousebold current} bad a median of 16 mA for men and 10.5 mA for "The Taser® current ourput in earlier public models bas been estimsted 10 Be equivalent to a 60-Hiz shock of ap proximately 3 mA.‘ Therefore, based! Bn the available literatnre, the mecha: nism of action of the Taser® is uncleat ‘Of interest is the fact that the weapon 4 capable of imenobilizing a victim ceven if the two barbs are sent only in the clothing; that is, sub- Cutaneous penetration is not neces: Sary for an imenobilizing effect 80 0°: BALLISTIC CONSIDERATIONS "The ballistic output of the Taser® is thet of its two darts. The range of the ‘weapon is. 4.6 1 and is limited by the Conducting wires. The initial velocity (Of each dast fe approscimately 55 mls ‘This velocity is slowed (0, approx mately 20 s/s at 4 x, partly due to the inertia of the conducting wire leads. “The initial velocity is substantially Jess than that of 2 BB gun {91 mm/s} or (38 special bandgun (332 mis). The Ki ‘netic energy delivered by the Taser® dart, proportional to its mass x ve- locity? is very low. Hence the dart is ballistically a very low-veloeity, low. energy weapon.’ The manulserrer re- ports that darts fired point-blank into the bare chest of a mam resulted in aly the barb and needle portion of the dart becoming im in the skin, CLINICAL CONSIDERATIONS ‘Despite the low ballistic ouepat of the Taser®, some important body areas may be prone to low-velocity injury by this weapon. Because the length of the dart needle is only 9:5 mm and this is probebly the extent of depth of penetration into skin, the mumber of skin-covered vital structures poten- tially injured by che dart ie limited. “The bat itself could lodge im any sur face area, with the chest, abdomen, td ge bing the reas capone fost Hequently in clinical practice Feneustion into a masjor blood vessel {eg, carotid artery} has not been re- pprted publicly. in addition, law cn- Recement personnel are instructed £0 fire the weapon at sucb major body surface areas as the chest and ab: Gomen, rather than at the head and nneck. Sept for laceration and crush ing, the only other ballistic mecha iem of tissue damage by the dart probably io that caused by shock Traves Given the low velocity and ke netic energy of the dars, tis factor probably is insignificant, although Shere ae no data to support thie coa- ‘enti. “The gpeatest—yet least intended — potential injury i that of dat penta Bon of the eye with subsequent rp. fre ofthe lobe. Whether tual loss of Vision (from globe repture of fom qansmission of electrical current hrough the cye) would result i un- Known. Clinical management of 2 cation. of the eye should consist Uf leaving the dare in place, placement of a provective meral eye shiekl, an Smmediate ophebalmalogie consults ‘don. Ip addon, a8 with any penetra ton of the body suriace by the dart appropsiate tetanus immunization should be given. ‘One of hres methods may be use to remove Taser® barbs fom te skit In descending order of ease they ar: ‘grasping the wire connected to tb Site and ficmly pulling it away fror the skin, 2) placing a 16-gange needl (ves the barb poruon of the dare ar eotly backing the dart out of cf Skiny and 3) prepping the skin, inf trating locally with Ioesine, cuts see ah wh ee |, and the Barb throu ig ites. The fast method is ve tolerated by the typical patient. T Gisadvantage fs the production soge irregular wound margias. Coe {t2.Decomber 18