Taser Injuries | 5-Minute Emergency Consult (2024)

Basics

Basics

Basics

Description

Description

  • Tasers are part of a class of less lethal weapons referred to as conducted energy weapons (CEWs)
  • Most common in the U.S. are those made by Taser International; these include the M-26, X-26, X2, and XRF although others exist
  • These devices use a high-voltage low-amperage current to override the subject's ability to control the peripheral nervous system; they cause pain so as to induce subject compliance
  • Handheld devices such as stun guns require the application of 2 exposed probes to the skin (or close to the skin) to cause a localized response (usually pain)
  • Other devices, such as the Taser International devices, have barbed probes attached to thin wires that can be shot up to 35 ft to deliver current from a distance
  • Needle lengths of CEW barbs are of varied lengths but generally less than or around 0.5 in
  • The effects of CEWs vary depending on the type of device being used, location, placement, and distance between the probes on the subject's body. If probe spread on the body is <5 cm, effectiveness is less
  • Skin effects:
    • May leave marks at site of probe contact, called “signature marks”
    • Small puncture wound from barbs
    • Burns from ignition of explosive or ignitable materials (gasoline) have been reported
  • Ocular injuries:
    • There are reports of the darts penetrating the globe
  • Skeletal effects:
    • Fractures may result from falls
    • Vertebral compression fractures have been reported as a result of a Taser discharge
    • Barbs may penetrate bone
  • Muscle effects:
    • Strains possible
    • Rhabdomyolysis possible with repeated prolonged use, though more likely could result from the underlying cause leading to use of the Taser (e.g., excited delirium syndrome [ExDS])
  • Cardiovascular effects:
    • Theoretically could cause ventricular fibrillation if a charge was delivered over the heart during a vulnerable part of the cardiac cycle. This risk is not easily quantifiable but estimated to be very low
    • A case of atrial fibrillation has been reported following Taser use
    • No significant effects in otherwise healthy subjects. Does not cause changes in ECG or cardiac troponin I
    • Unclear how device would affect pacemakers/automatic internal cardiac defibrillators (AICDs). Energy is low; theoretically should not cause damage. Could cause an AICD to deliver a shock if electrical activity of the CEW is misinterpreted as a dysrhythmia
  • Nervous system effects:
    • There have been case reports of skull penetration and seizure
  • Respiratory effects:
    • Initial concerns that the CEWs would disrupt ventilation proved unfounded. Research has shown that subjects actually increase ventilation during an application

Etiology

Etiology

Etiology

The devices are commonly used in law enforcement but may also be used in the military, self-defense, by those wishing to commit a crime, or an accidental discharge of a weapon on to the owner of the device

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Citation

Schaider, Jeffrey J., et al., editors. "Taser Injuries." 5-Minute Emergency Consult, 5th ed., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2016. Emergency Central, emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307682/all/Taser_Injuries.

Taser Injuries. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, et al, eds. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2016. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307682/all/Taser_Injuries. Accessed May 18, 2024.

Taser Injuries. (2016). In Schaider, J. J., Barkin, R. M., Hayden, S. R., Wolfe, R. E., Barkin, A. Z., Shayne, P., & Rosen, P. (Eds.), 5-Minute Emergency Consult (5th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307682/all/Taser_Injuries

Taser Injuries [Internet]. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, Wolfe RER, Barkin AZA, Shayne PP, Rosen PP, editors. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2016. [cited 2024 May 18]. Available from: https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307682/all/Taser_Injuries.

* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case

TY - ELECT1 - Taser InjuriesID - 307682ED - Barkin,Adam Z,ED - Shayne,Philip,ED - Rosen,Peter,ED - Schaider,Jeffrey J,ED - Barkin,Roger M,ED - Hayden,Stephen R,ED - Wolfe,Richard E,BT - 5-Minute Emergency ConsultUR - https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307682/all/Taser_InjuriesPB - Lippincott Williams & WilkinsET - 5DB - Emergency CentralDP - Unbound MedicineER -

Taser Injuries | 5-Minute Emergency Consult (2024)

FAQs

Do you need to go to the hospital after being tased? ›

However, even if no lingering health complications emerge from a taser encounter, some medical attention is sometimes necessary. For example, a taser's darts can lodge in the skin, and medical professionals must remove them carefully.

How do you treat a Taser wound? ›

Put a warm water bottle, a heating pad set on low, or a warm cloth on the area. Put a thin cloth between the heating pad and your skin. Wash the area daily with warm water, and pat it dry. Don't use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, which can slow healing.

What happens when you get hit by a Taser? ›

The body's muscles are controlled by electrical impulses, which is why an electric shock – such as one from a Taser – triggers muscle contractions and “stuns” a target. An electric shock can interrupt the muscle contractions of the heart's ventricles and cause dangerous arrhythmia.

Is a Taser pain compliance? ›

The Taser is intended to provide a force option, which has a reduced likelihood of causing permanent injury. 1. Taser brand devices are Conducted Electrical Weapons, which use electrical energy to generate pain compliance and/or temporarily incapacitate a subject.

How long are you incapacitated after being tased? ›

The electrical pulses from a Taser strike last only five seconds. After that, most people return to their normal muscle function right away. "Recovery from the incapacitation is instantaneous," Nguyen said.

How long does a Taser pain last? ›

An electric Taser can incapacitate someone for as long as its electrical cycle lasts, typically around 5 seconds. People usually recover immediately and feel no residual side effects, but it's important to keep an eye on them afterward to make sure that there was no injury for at least 20 minutes afterward.

Can a Taser cause serious bodily injury? ›

Tasers are a commonly used non-lethal tool by law enforcement to subdue aggressive or violent individuals. While generally considered less harmful than firearms, tasers can still cause temporary pain and muscle contractions. In some cases, there is the possibility of more significant injuries and even permanent damage.

Do Tasers leave scars? ›

Skin effects: May leave marks at site of probe contact, called “signature marks” Small puncture wound from barbs. Burns from ignition of explosive or ignitable materials (gasoline) have been reported.

What are the long term effects of TASERs? ›

There are no known long-term effects from being exposed to a TASER energy weapon. This is significant given that there are more than 850 reports, abstracts, studies and reference materials on TASER energy weapons, in addition to approximately 5 million field deployments over 25 years.

Can a taser affect your heart? ›

The TASER Debate. Even though many studies and reports have been published regarding the TASER's safety, there is still no consensus. Some studies suggest that the TASER can directly pace the heart into ventricular fibrillation (VF). In North America, over 440 deaths have been reported immediately following TASER use.

What happens if I Taser someone touching me? ›

If the attacker is touching you, you will not be shocked. The shock provided by the stun gun will not conduct from one person to another. The effects of the shock are localized only to where the contact is made.

Do tasers work through clothes? ›

A: These typs of tasers work far better if you can hit bare skin with it & hold it there. It probably will not do much of anything through any kind of jacket or coat. You might have some success against denim jeans IF you can get the probes mostly through the fabric by pressing HARD.

When not to use a taser? ›

Careful consideration should be given in deploying the Taser on subjects who are in elevated positions or in other circ*mstances where a fall may cause substantial injury or death (i.e. subjects on roof tops, on stairs, or pregnant woman). 5. The Taser shall never be used punitively or for the purpose of coercion.

Is a taser considered lethal? ›

Taser safety issues relate to the lethality of the Taser. The TASER device is a less-lethal, not non-lethal, weapon, since the possibility of serious injury or death exists whenever the weapon is deployed. It is a brand of conducted electroshock weapon sold by Axon, formerly TASER International.

How long is too long with a Taser? ›

It is a brand of conducted electroshock weapon sold by Axon, formerly TASER International. Axon has identified increased risk in repeated, extended, or continuous exposure to the weapon; the Police Executive Research Forum says that total exposure should not exceed 15 seconds.

Can you have a seizure after being tased? ›

This report shows that a taser shot to the head may result in a brain-specific complication such as generalized tonic-clonic seizure. It also suggests that seizure should be considered an adverse event related to taser use.

What happens if you're touching someone who gets tased? ›

If the attacker is touching you, you will not be shocked. The shock provided by the stun gun will not conduct from one person to another. The effects of the shock are localized only to where the contact is made.

What does a taser do to the body? ›

They deliver a modulated electric current designed to disrupt voluntary control of muscles, causing "neuromuscular incapacitation." The effects of a TASER device may only be localized pain or strong involuntary long muscle contractions, based on the mode of use, connectivity and location of the darts.

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