Health
Serious injuries from Tasers rare
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 2, 2009
The use of conducted electrical weapons such as Tasers, which increasingly are a part of the arsenal of law enforcement agencies, infrequently cause harm after the initial shock, according to a study online Jan. 15 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
Researchers analyzed data from six police departments across the country. A conducted electrical weapon was used on 1,201 people during a three-year period. Their median age was 30, and 94% were male.
Just more than 78% or 938 were uninjured after being stunned. Nearly 22% experienced minor wounds such as punctures from the device's probes. Two people had serious head injuries from falling, and one person developed rhabdomyolysis.
"These weapons appear to be very safe, especially when compared to other options police have for subduing violent or combative suspects," said William P. Bozeman, MD, lead author and associate professor of emergency medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The devices have been controversial and concern about possible health risks has grown. The American Medical Association's Council on Science and Public Health is expected to release a report on the subject at the AMA Annual Meeting in June.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/02/02/hlbf0202.htm.
