Tasers May Affect Heart Function

Several deaths have been reported regarding the controversial use of tasers by police. Taser energy can result in electrical stimulation of the heart to rapid heart rates. In a new study researchers examine the first recorded case of taser-induced myocardial capture (a rapid beating of the lower chambers of the heart) in a person with a dual-chamber pacemaker. The study examined data stored in the pacemaker of a 53-year-old man experiencing non-specific chest pain a week after receiving a taser shot. Although the pacemaker continued to function normally, it registered two high-rate episodes of myocardial capture, indicating a taser-induced rapid heart rate corresponding with the times of taser application.