CEW effects with illegal stimulant intoxication

Abstract

Conducted electrical weapons (CEWs) such as the TASER® brand devices are increasingly used by law enforcement officers when confronted with combative and uncooperative subjects [1]. These devices minimize direct physical interaction between the police and the subject thus minimizing potential injury to the officer and decrease the need for using more lethal and injury-prone weapons such as the baton or the hand gun. In-custody deaths, however, have raised the speculation that TASER CEWs may contribute to such deaths. Disrupting the cardiac rhythm has been a postulate mechanism of such deaths. © 2009 Springer-Verlag US.