TASER conducted electrical weapons and implanted pacemakers and defibrillators.
BACKGROUND
Conducted electrical weapons (CEW) have generated controversy in recent years regarding their effect on heart rhythm and on their suspected interaction with implanted devices such as the pacemakers and ICDs (implantable cardioverter defibrillators). We review the current evidence available on device interactions and pre-sent a new case series of 6 patients.


METHODS
We used the available case reports and animal studies on TASER or CEW related publications in PubMed.


CONCLUSIONS
Oversensing of TASER CEW discharges may cause noise reversion pacing in pacemakers and inappropriate detection of VF in ICDs. The nominal 5-second discharge is sufficiently short that neither clinically significant inhibition of bradycardia pacing nor inappropriate ICD shocks have been reported. Current evidence indicates that CEW discharges do not have adverse effects on pacemakers and ICDs.
Vanga
Subba R
SR
University of Kansas Hospitals, Kansa City, KS, USA.
Bommana
Sudharani
S
Kroll
Mark W
MW
Swerdlow
Charles
C
Lakkireddy
Dhanunjaya
D
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D047548:Defibrillators; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation; D004594:Electrophysiology / Q000379:methods; D004597:Electroshock / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial; D013552:Swine; D054041:Weapons