First of all, I'm not trying to stir up another debate about the pros and cons of Tasers. That subject has been beaten to death already. However, I found this development interesting as I've wondered whether a Taser might work like a defibrillator when applied to irregular heart rhythms.
Following is a press release about an article published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, which is a highly respected, peer reviewed medical journal. I thought I'd post it for those who are interested. And no, I'm not suggesting people start using a Taser as a defib, although in a pinch it might be a good trick to employ.
News Release
Case Study:
Taser Restores Regular Heartbeat to Agitated Patient
Washington, DC— The first known case of a patient’s irregular heartbeat being brought into a regular rhythm after being shocked with a Taser device is reported today online in the Annals of Emergency Medicine ("Fortuitous Therapeutic Effect of Taser Shock for a Patient in Atrial Fibrillation").
A 28-year-old man with a history of mental illness was brought by police to the emergency department. The patient developed hypothermia and an irregular heartbeat as a result of hiding in a lake after his initial escape from police custody. His irregular heartbeat rose as high as 145 beats a minute.
He was treated for hypothermia and assessed by emergency physicians and cardiologists. The patient became agitated and uncooperative, and began to remove his medical monitoring devices and intravenous line. After he threatened hospital staff and police, a police officer shocked him in the chest with a Taser device. The patient’s heartbeat immediately fell to a regular rhythm at 120 beats a minute.
"This is the first report of a patient receiving a shock of this kind and having a positive outcome," said the study author, Dr. Kyle A. Richards of the Department of Cardiology at Hartford Hospital, in Hartford, Ct. "In this instance, the patient received a very low dose of electrical current, but it was still enough to restore him to regular heart rhythm. This is the law of unintended consequences at work, or so it seems."
The full article can be found here:
www.annemergmed.com