Electronic control devices (ECDs) – commonly called as Tasers – may aggravate heart problems in the people it strikes, says a new study.
The study was conducted by Dr. Douglas P. Zipes, a cardiologist at Indiana University, and the results have been published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.
During this study he put into practice police, medical and emergency response records, autopsy reports, and data from defibrillators and electrocardiogram (ECG) strips.
He used all the materials to analyze eight cases where clinically healthy men lost consciousness after being exposed to a Taser X26, and all but one died.
Tasers, also called as stun guns, use compressed gas to fire electrodes delivering an initial shock of 50,000 volts of electricity, rendering them incapacitated for a few moments.
After analyzing the data Zipes reached at the conclusion that a Taser device has the capacity to trigger an irregular rapid heartbeat called ventricular arrhythmias, sudden cardiac arrest and even death if it is targeted at a person's chest.
"This study doesn't say that we should abandon using Taser devices, but it does show that users should exercise caution, avoid chest shocks and monitor the person after shock to ensure there are no adverse reactions," CBS News has quoted Zipes as saying in a university news release.
"Taser users need to be prepared for the possibility of inducing sudden cardiac arrest in those stunned and have adequate medical knowledge in such situations.
"In no way am I attempting to condemn Taser use. That decision must be done by law-enforcement experts, not cardiologists, but I want people to be aware of the potential consequences," he said.
While talking about the study, Dr. Byron Lee, a cardiologist and director of the electrophysiology laboratory at the University of California, San Francisco who was not part of the new research, said the New York Times, "This is no longer arguable. This is scientific fact."
"The national debate should now center on whether the risk of sudden death with Tasers is low enough to warrant widespread use by law enforcement," he added.
In February Amnesty International had claimed that at least 500 people have died in the U.S. since 2001 due to shocks received from the Tasers.
Steve Tuttle, spokesman for Taser International Inc. based in Scottsdale Ariz., told HealthPop in an email that it won’t be wise to draw broad conclusions from such a small study.
"There have been 3 million uses of TASER device uses worldwide with this case series reporting 8 of concern," Tuttle has been quoted as saying
"This article does not support a cause-effect association and fails to accurately evaluate the risks versus the benefits of the thousands of lives saved by police with TASER devices," he added.
--with inputs from ANI
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