Presenting Rhythm in Sudden Deaths Temporally Proximate to Discharge of TASER Conducted Electrical Weapons

Swerdlow, Charles D.; Fishbein, Michael C.; Chaman, Linda; Lakkireddy, Dhanunjaya; Tchou, Patrick

doi:10.1111/j.1553-2712.2009.00432.x

Cited by 53 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Even if one would disagree with a given criterion, it would not change (with a single exception) the results to positive scores. Except for Swerdlow et al, 11 no authors described a systematic methodology to select cases and to maximize objectivity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[8][9][10][11][12][13] We obtained autopsy reports, emergency medical services run sheets, law-enforcement records, medical records, and deposition transcripts. We then used objective electronic records such as the ECD download (with clock drift correction), radio logs, 9-1-1 dispatch records, and audio and video recordings to build detailed timelines of each incident.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…7 Of the >3 million total ECD applications, there have been 12 published case reports suggesting a potential cardiac arrest link, giving an incidence of 4×10 −6 per application. [8][9][10][11][12][13] In most cases, those authors did not consider important factors that are now better understood. These include separating postural from cardiovascular collapse, the latency of electrically induced ventricular fibrillation (VF), the presence of significant cardiac pathology, failure of prompt defibrillation, the duration of documented breathing, the distance of the ECD electrode from the heart, and the stability of electrically induced VF.…”

Section: Response By Zipes On P 100mentioning

confidence: 99%

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TASER Electronic Control Devices and Cardiac Arrests: Coincidental or Causal?

et al. 2014

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Being arrested is a highly emotional event and can result in a fatal, adrenergically supercharged physiological state. 1 The exertion of arrest-related struggle is several-fold greater than that seen with normal exercise and leads to numerous extreme metabolic and electrolytic derangements, including elevated levels of lactate, CO 2 , potassium, creatine kinase, and myoglobin.2 Only 1.6% of US law-enforcement interactions involve the use or threats of force, and annually there are ≈700 000 cases in which force is used or threatened.3 There are ≈700 arrest-related deaths per year in the United States, yielding a mortality rate of ≈1 in 1000 for a law-enforcement interaction associated with force. 4 Response by Zipes on p 100The electronic control device (ECD) has gained widespread acceptance as the force option for law enforcement because of its dramatic reduction in both suspect and officer injury. At the same time, advocacy groups post statements on the Internet listing the hundreds of arrest-related deaths after ECD use with the implication that the ECD involvement was causal. Studies covering a total of >48 000 forceful arrests have consistently found suspect injury rate reductions of ≈65%.5,6 Of the 250 000 annual ECD field uses in the United States, only 1 in 4000 is involved in an arrest-related death. This reduction in fatality rate is consistent with published data showing that 5.4% of ECD uses "clearly prevented the use of lethal force by police." 7Of the >3 million total ECD applications, there have been 12 published case reports suggesting a potential cardiac arrest link, giving an incidence of 4×10 −6 per application. [8][9][10][11][12][13] In most cases, those authors did not consider important factors that are now better understood. These include separating postural from cardiovascular collapse, the latency of electrically induced ventricular fibrillation (VF), the presence of significant cardiac pathology, failure of prompt defibrillation, the duration of documented breathing, the distance of the ECD electrode from the heart, and the stability of electrically induced VF. We have thoroughly investigated these cases as either TASER scientific advisors or expert witnesses. The goal of this article is to resolve the confusion about these cases by introducing more complete data and by using a consistent case-report scoring methodology. Methods Understanding the Confounders Postural Versus Cardiovascular CollapseIn the normal course of life, an exertional postural collapse is, correctly, often associated with a cardiac arrest. However, it is sometimes forgotten that the ECD design goal is to cause a postural collapse to stop aggression. A sternal rub response is often blunted by the presence of alcohol, illegal drugs, psychotic break, and endorphins from the struggle. Hence, nonresponsiveness is also more difficult to evaluate in the law-enforcement scenario.(Circulation. 2014;129:93-100)

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Response By Zipes On P 100mentioning

confidence: 99%

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TASER Electronic Control Devices and Cardiac Arrests: Coincidental or Causal?

et al. 2014

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“…of the 200 deaths analyzed by Swerdlow et al, 36 56 subjects collapsed within 15 minutes of the ECD shock and had the presenting rhythm reported. Four had VF and 52 had bradycardia/ asystole or pulseless electric activity.…”

Section: Prior Publications Of Cases Consistent With Taser-induced Camentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even so, given the claim by Amnesty International 6 of 544 deaths associated with ECD use between 2001 and 2013, it is surprising that these studies did not capture at least some of these deaths, which brings their validity into question. Swerdlow et al, 36 using an Internet-based search, found 200 cases of ECD-associated, nontraumatic sudden deaths from 2001 to 2008. Thus, more deaths occurred after ECD deployment than captured by the epidemiological studies.…”

Section: Clinical Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 99%