title: Electrical injury from Tasering and miscarriage.
abstract: A case report is presented of a woman who was "Tasered" by law enforcement personnel while 12 weeks pregnant. The Taser (Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle) is an electronic immobilization and defense weapon that has been commercially available since 1974. The Taser was developed as an alternative to the .38 special handgun. The patient was hit with Taser probes in the abdomen and the leg. She began to spontaneously miscarry 7 days later and received a dilatation and currettage procedure 14 days later for incomplete abortion. The world's literature on electrical and lightning injury to pregnant women is reviewed, and the mechanism of action of Taser injury is discussed. As use of the Taser becomes more common, obstetrical clinicians may encounter complications from the Taser more often.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Practice and Community Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston.
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Mehl
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000209:etiology*; D000328:Adult; D004556:Electric Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015168:Lightning Injuries / Q000150:complications; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D016495:Police; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome