UK Study Suggests TASER Devices Unlikely to Harm Human Hearts 7:30a ET November 28, 2007 (PrimeNewswire)
TASER International, Inc. (Nasdaq:TASR), a market leader in advanced electronic control devices, released the following News Alert:
According to an article posted on physicsworld.com, a study led by the UK Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) of the effect of TASER(r) Electronic Control Devices (ECDs) on human and animal hearts suggests that the TASER ECDs are unlikely to harm the human heart.
The study, "Electromagnetic modelling of current flow in the heart from TASER devices and the risk of cardiac dysrhythmias," was published November 23, 2007 on the electronic journal of Physics in Medicine and Biology hosted by Institute of Physics (http://www.iop.org/EJ/abstract/0031-9155/52/24/001/). The study will be printed in Issue 24 of Physics in Medicine and Biology dated December 21, 2007.
The work was done by researchers in the United Kingdom and involved laboratory experiments and computer simulations. The team concluded that the jolt from the TASER ECD is not enough cause the heart to beat irregularly.
According to the article, "A multidisciplinary research collaboration led by the UK Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) has examined the possibility that the strike from two commercial TASERs: the M26 and X26, can cause the human heart to beat irregularly -- a condition called cardiac arrhythmia. To do this, the researchers applied the TASER waveforms to a digitized human body representation and modeled the current flow within its heart. These simulated currents were then applied to a guinea-pig heart in vitro."
The article went on to say, "As a result of the simulations and experiments, the team concluded that there is a wide safety margin between the intensity of a TASER strike and the level at which a human heart would beat irregularly. The team did, however, caution that factors such as the consumption of alcohol or some drugs, or an existing heart condition could reduce this safety margin in some individuals."
The article also included the following quotes: "This paper provides an important first step in determining the bioelectric effects of TASERs on the heart," said Brad Roth, associate professor in the department of physics at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. "I have many concerns about TASERs, but the induction of a cardiac arrhythmia appears to be less of a problem than I would have initially guessed."
"We could have guessed that the risks of cardiac events are rather low, since TASER International markets the weapon by sending them to police conventions and by now, hundreds* of police officers have tased themselves without mishap," said Kenneth Foster, professor of bioengineering and electrical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. "It is nevertheless reassuring see good studies being done that support this conclusion."
The physicsworld.com article "TASER is easy on the heart" was posted on November 26, 2007.
Dr. Mark Kroll, Chairman of the Scientific and Medical Advisory Board of TASER International commented, "The study out of the United Kingdom found a safety margin of 70:1 for the ADVANCED TASER(r) M26 and 240:1 for the TASER(r) X26 devices, which is significantly higher than the published safety margins for many common over-the-counter headache medications, some of which have a safety margin as low as 15:1. This study compliments other research from the Cleveland Clinic, which found the presence of cocaine actually increases the safety margin of TASER type stimulus in swine and research from the University of Minnesota which found no adverse effects from TASER discharges in human subjects in the presence of intoxicating levels of blood alcohol, as well as many other published studies. It is my opinion that the quality of studies on TASER device technology, such as the one released today, is comparable to or even exceeds the quality of safety studies of many medical devices currently in use today." Dr. Kroll is the former Chief Technology Officer of one of the nation's largest medical device manufacturers and holds the highest number patents on cardiac devices of any scientist in the world.
* TASER now estimates that there are now 500+ police training exposures per calendar dayand a total of just over 600,000 total law enforcement training exposures.
TASER International, Inc. disclaims any responsibility for the accuracy of the media reports that are the sole responsibility of the attributed media source.
For more information on protecting life with TASER technology, please visit: www.TASER.com.
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