Fortuitous Therapeutic Effect of Taser Shock for a Patient in Atrial Fibrillation
Received 11 March 2008; received in revised form 14 April 2008; accepted 18 April 2008. published online 03 June 2008.
Neuromuscular incapacitating devices are used by law enforcement and military forces worldwide. The most frequently used of these devices are from Taser International. Although they are regarded as a less than lethal alternative, there have been several case reports aimed at linking the potential causal relationship of a shock from a neuromuscular incapacitating device and sudden cardiac death caused by induced ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. In this report, we describe the first known account in which a neuromuscular incapacitating device had a temporal relationship to a more positive therapeutic outcome for a patient.
aDepartment of Cardiology, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT
bDivision of Electrophysiology, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT
cDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT
Address for correspondence: Kyle A. Richards, MD, Hartford Hospital, 85 Seymour St, Hartford, CT 06102; 860-545-5157, fax 860-545-5631
Supervising editor: Judd E. Hollander, MD
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